Sky Blade
by Writer of a Thousand Stories
Summary: A certain Nameless Servant gets a new chance at life due to the final actions of his meddlesome Master. You survived and thrived on the Moon, Servant Archer: can you do the same in the Sky?
1. Prologue: Ocean

**AN:** I had this idea after I started playing GBF under advice of a friend, helped said friend write a quest about GBF and read a fanfic with a similar premise. This story is dedicated to the members of my Crew, who have proven very supportive and helpful in regard to its development.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own neither Fate/Extra nor Granblue Fantasy. I just write fandom based on those games.

* * *

 **Prologue: Ocean**

 _"For me this is certainly the end. I'm leaving the real 'me' in capable hands, so I have no regrets. But what about you?"_

 _"Must I repeat what I told you already? I have since long ago made peace with my ideals. I am satisfied with my current existence."_

 _"Is this your final answer?"_

 _"Should you really worry so much about someone like me? Your time is almost to an end."_

 _"That's why I'm doing this: neither of us has anything left to lose. So why don't you humor me in my final moments?"_

 _"...What a cruel Master I have. Are you okay with any answer? What if I told you I wouldn't mind a second chance at life?"_

 _The white-haired man chuckled at his own joke, only to stop as he stared back into eyes full of strength and determination. Even as his own body was undone by the sea of information they were floating in the brown-haired boy in a school uniform grinned._

 _As if he had just won a bet._

 _"Even like this I have full access to the records of the whole Moon Cell. Here, in the seat of the Holy Grail, it takes but an instant for someone to find whatever they may need."_

 _"Just wait a second Master! What are-"_

 _"Goodbye Archer. Whenever you end up in, make sure to find happiness, alright? That's my last order as your Master. No, this is my last request to my best friend."_

 _"Hakuno-!"_

* * *

Under the harsh glare of the sun a man with a handkerchief over the lower half of his face tossed the torch into the barrel and ran back to the boat waiting in front of the beach, dense black smoke already coming out behind his shoulders. "That's the last of it Boss!"

"Good job everyone. Let's back off now, I don't want to inhale whatever that stuff is." Eugen commanded. As his men steered the gondola-like boat away the bearded, brown-haired man stared at the dozen or so barrels arrayed on the shore for a few seconds before turning around to do the same with the vast expanse of pure blue water.

"But for how much longer?" he muttered under his breath. Despite his and many others' best efforts they had yet to locate the source of the pollution. Auguste's best scouts has been unable to find anything resembling a facility of the Empire so far and none of the prisoners knew anything relevant. Where exactly was the Erste doing its damn experiments?

"Uh?" Just then Eugen's lone eye caught something in the distance. Squinting he could barely make out a patch of red amidst the blue of the sky. Did they perhaps miss a patch of the toxic smudge? A few times it was of a different color than black. "Oy, turn left. There's something I want to check."

The man at the helm promptly obeyed and steered the boat in the direction pointed out by Eugen. As they moved closer he could make out more and more details, until his eye widened in surprise. "But that's... A person!" And it was not moving: a bad sign if there ever was one. Without wasting time he stepped up to the boat's rim and leapt into the water. "Hey! You alright?!" He called out without receiving an answer. Reaching the body and turning it around he came face to face with a man: his face looked no older than twenty-five, yet hair was white and skin tanned like someone who spent a lot of time out to sea. Locking his arm around the stranger's shoulders Eugen began the tiring task of swimming back to the boat.

Once there his men helped him and his passenger onboard. "Boss, who is this? He doesn't look like he's from the Empire. A tourist?" One of them asked while the other laid down the white-haired man over the boat's bottom.

"It would be great if they came back, but something is telling me it's not the case." Passing a hand through his wet hair Eugen took the chance to check out the one he rescued in greater detail; he was tall, taller than him even, and clad in form-fitting black armor with a peculiar red coat over it. He definitely had the look of someone who knew how to fight, so maybe he was an Agent like him? Or a Skyfarer that got separated by his crew during an accident?

Eugen purposely avoided thinking of the worst possibility, namely that he just rescued the sole survivor of a shipwreck. With everything else that was going on he needed to think positive. "Let's go back home: this fellow needs to see a doctor."

* * *

A slow opening of the eyelids signaled the awakening of Archer, his mind not fully grasping the situation before his last memories sent it into overdrive: he sat upright like a bolt, grasping his forehead in pain before it subsided. "Master?"

Receiving no answer he looked around, years of experience making him analyze his surroundings down to the smallest detail. The first thing he noticed was the absence of the boy he, dare he says it, came to truly care for in the last seven weeks.

A bad feeling formed in his stomach, and only worsened as he took on more details.

He was inside a plainly decorated room, the only pieces of furniture the bed he was lying on, a few chairs around a small table, a chandelier with half-melted candles and a bookshelf with random objects. The floor, walls and ceiling were made of white marble, with the only source of illumination an open window: from where he was he couldn't see outside, but from the light it was late afternoon and his nose picked up the smell of salt typical of seas and oceans.

And that was the problem: everything was obviously aged and thus **realistic**. Back in the Moon Cell everything, from the fake school where the Masters resided to the Arenas, was a digital creation of the most powerful computer in existence. So even if at first glance it was no different from the real world, someone with senses as sharp as his own could see how avatars and objects always looked brand new. For example, those things supposed to have been around for a long time like the buildings and thus showing signs of wear looked as if they were created that way instead of being slowly changed by the flow of time.

Archer didn't need to perform Structural Analysis on himself to find confirmation to the most likely explanation: he truly was back in the Real World. His Master, Hakuno Kishinami, really did the impossible and managed to incarnate him, a Servant that was supposed to exist only within the virtual environment of the Moon Cell, in a real body.

"Moron." He scoffed. "If you cannot even recognize a joke, then you truly are a hopeless Master."

It was a needless gesture. Even if Archer survived though some irregular method Hakuno Kishinami, the winner of the Holy Grail War, has been surely...

Archer's sour musings were cut off by the sole door opening. Walking inside was a muscular man around his fifties, with swept back brown hair that reached his shoulder, a short beard and a mustache. He had an eyepatch over his left eye and wore a form-fitting black top that exposed his shoulders, white gloves, white pants with a red line to the side and brown boots.

"Ooh? Finally awake, are ya?" The man grinned when he noticed Archer was up. "The doctor said you were perfectly fine, that you just swallowed some water and only needed rest."

"Water?" Archer passed his tongue over the inside of his mouth: it felt a little salty. It meant saltwater: added to his early observations it was easy to guess the rest. "Was I found in the sea?"

How ironic: from a sea of electrons to one of real life. If there existed a hidden meaning in that, it totally escaped him.

"Yeah. You were damn lucky that we had business in the area and I happened to see you." The man took a chair and put it next to the bed before sitting down. "The pollution and war with the Empire chased away visitors, you might not have been found for weeks if we hadn't noticed you."

The mention of a war and 'Empire' made Archer raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly. As far as he knew there were no more empires in the modern world: except maybe the Harway Plutocracy, but no one on either side would call it an empire except in jest. It made the reincarnated Servant wonder where Hakuno sent him.

Wait. Didn't he say 'Whenever you end up'? Did it mean the boy had no idea what the destination was? He truly was the most hopeless Master.

"So, mind telling me how you ended up here?" The brown haired man asked while crossing his arms over his chest.

"Sadly I have no idea myself." Archer shrugged. "I don't even know where 'here' is."

"Really? Then let me welcome you to Mizarea, the capital of the Auguste Isles." The man laughed. "Name's Eugen. Yours?"

The materialized Servant mentally filed away the two unfamiliar names, planning to investigate them later, before looking at Eugen with indifferent grey eyes. "Name? Names are for people that really matter. Me, I'm just... a simple **Archer**."


	2. Chapter 1: Auguste

**Chapter 1: Auguste**

Baruha Beach: once renowned for its beautiful white sand and crystalline water, recent events had curbed the usual flow of visitors and now large patches of it were bereft of civilized presence, making them fertile ground for monster infestation.

A colony of War Crabs, twenty or so specimen, floundered leisurely around the beach, the lack of immediate threats and their needs temporarily sated lulling them into a relaxed state. Looking like normal crabs but as large as an adult human, those monsters had shockingly durable armored carapaces that protect them from harm even in situations of grave danger, making them a popular material for equipment crafters due to their combination of flexibility and durability.

A large area of the sky above was littered with red dots, before they closed in revealing arrows travelling at breakneck speed. Without being able to even acknowledge the attack all the War Crabs were skewered multiple times by aerodynamic blades, each one piercing a vital point, and wiped out completely.

Eight hundred meters away, standing on top of a rocky outcrop, Archer lowered his bow. "That was almost insultingly easy." He commented in a neutral tone at odds with his words. "They should lower the reward for this kind of request before someone take advantage of it."

It has been two months since the Servant of the Bow arrived on Auguste Isles. When Eugen boasted it was the only island in all of the Phantagrande Skydom with an ocean Archer thought it was merely a figure of speech he couldn't understand due to a lack of context.

When he saw the island's edge for the first time and stared down at an expanse of sky even he, with his enhanced sight, couldn't see the bottom of he almost had an heart attack. As impossible as it sounded, Archer was truly in a world where islands floated in the sky in clear disregard of every known law of gravity. Rather that ending up on the planet Earth outside the Moon Cell, or maybe in an alternate version of it, whatever method Hakuno Kishinami used sent Archer into a completely different universe, one where all of his previous knowledge probably amounted to nothing. He had to thank his benefactor and current employer, Eugen, for indulging his request to research any information that could be commonly accessed, even if the man probably mistook Archer as being simply a curious person instead of the almost desperate one he truly was. Afterwards it was only proper for him to repay the man's generosity, and that's how Archer ended up helping Eugen in his task of keeping order on Auguste.

Dismissing his bow into motes of magical energy that quickly vanished he made to jump down the outcrop, only to stop midway and glance back at where the colony of monsters once stood. With a mental command the swords still embedded into the sand broke down into residual magical energy just like the bow.

That was one of the most important differences between the Sky Realm and his old world, even if not the most glaring one: on Earth his projections would eventually cease to exist by themselves, eroded by Gaia which saw them as abominations just like all Magecraft. Within the Moon Cell it was the same, even if there it was simply the supercomputer's effort to simulate the outside world as closely as possible. But within the Sky Realm it didn't happen: while still weaker than the originals, Archer's projections showed no sign of degrading no matter how long he kept observing them, forcing him to dismiss them himself. It, and other examples of the local magical arts he'd the chance to observe, made him wonder if this new world lacked a Great Will like Earth, or if it was a situation similar to the fabled Age of Gods.

On the way back to Mizarea, Archer stopped to collect medicinal herbs for another request before continuing on his way. Once he reached the beach closer to the city he started encountering people, the few true enthusiasts that were determined to keep enjoying the sea despite the war and the threat of monsters. Two of those enthusiasts approached when they spotted him, skillfully riding the waves on surfboard. "Archer! Coming back already? That was fast." The young man with pale, dirty blond hair commented. He wore only sandals, skin-tight black and blue pants, a blue jacket and gauntlets shaped like a fish's dorsal spine. His name was Joel, a coast guard with a passion for diving.

Archer shrugged. "It was nothing exceptional, just twenty or so War Crabs."

"Twenty War Crabs and he calls them nothing exceptional! That's a good joke!" The girl on the other board merrily laughed. She had auburn hair and wore a blue and gold swimming suit that left her back bare. But the most glaring feature were the pair of furry animal ears on top of her head, identifying her as a member of the Erune race.

It still baffled Archer, that in this world humanity was co-existing peacefully with not one but **three** other races: the Erune, who had animal ears; the Draph, with horns and cow-like ears; and finally the Harvin, small like children and with long, pointed ears. Given humanity's records on Earth he expected the presence of racial discrimination, and yet he hasn't see any trace of it. Considering the stories about the Astral War, Archer supposed that fighting against a fifth tyrannical race and winning against overwhelming odds would do wonders to foister good relationships and a tolerating attitude among the survivors.

"Come on Archer!" The girl, Cailana, called out. "If normal monsters are child's game, why don't you search out stronger ones?"

"Because those live far away from people, so I have no reason to go after them." He replied. "Also, you should look where you're going."

"Already saw it!" She cheered before maneuvering around the rock emerging from the water. "See-Oooh! Those are good waves! Let's go Joel!"

"Coming!" While following after the girl the young man waved back at Archer. "Let's meet again later!"

"Sure." He waved back. Shaking his head at the two youths' carefree attitude Archer reached the end of the beach and climbed up the stairs to one of the city's gates. Walking past the guards, who knew him well, Archer passed through the arc and into the natural harbor where Mizarea was built.

The capital of the Auguste Isles was a marvel of architectural engineering and artistic excellence. Like Venice of Earth it was built over more than a hundred small islands huddled together and connected by bridges, though many of the residents use boats and the canals to move around. The predominant use of buildings with a circular layout, domes and the color blue gave the impression Mizarea, also called the Aqua City, was a giant huddle of bubbles rising from the sea's surface. Extremely fitting given the land's connection to water: even Archer, who never was the type to indulge in sight-seeing, had to admire the city's beauty.

Childish shouts of wonder and excitement attracted his attention: standing before a flowerbed and faced with a small group of children a figure was slowly waving a hand in intricate patterns, flames dancing among the fingers. By height alone the girl could be mistaken for another child, only the long ears identifying her as a Harvin and the mature expression on her bespectacled face telling otherwise. With long white hair that pooled around her feet, she was dressed in fancy clothes consisting of a red gown with golden decorations, a robe-like white jacket with large sleeves and long black gloves. On her head rested a headpiece with a sun theme and in her left hand she wielded a long staff with a top resembling an astrolabe.

The Harvin finished her show, the flames turning into pure light that bathed the flowerbed, causing the flowers to visibly grow and bloom as a result of that. Archer waited until the children finished cheering and dispersed before approaching the sun-themed girl. "Now you also perform shows for children? Truly your talents are unlimited, Lady Zahlhamelina."

"Ah, Sir Archer. Good to see you again." Zahlhamelina replied with a kind tone. She arrived on Auguste a few weeks ago during her travels to see the world and immediately became famous for helping anyone in need, from hunting monsters to helping with mundane chores.

Honestly, the similitudes between her and Archer's past self were a bit unnerving, especially after he learned how she gained her epithet of Sun Priestess. At least she didn't seem to suffer from the same issues.

"I merely saw those children being gloomy, and after learning they all had parents on the front they haven't seen for days I decided to cheer them up." She explained as her gaze turned to the distance, where the bulk of Auguste's fighting force was busy holding back the Erste Empire. "The war is a blight on those lands. I wonder when it will end?"

He shrugged, gazing in the same direction while thinking back to his little 'raids'. "When the Empire has concluded whatever business it has here I suppose."

"Eh?" The one meter-tall girl had to strain her neck to look up at the much taller human. "What do you mean with that Sir Archer?"

"Don't take my word for it, it's just a hunch." Which was almost certainly correct, Archer has saw enough wars to understand most of its patterns. "But war broke out when Erste, who was polluting the ocean with their experiments, denied Auguste's request to stop them. It's only later, when hostilities started, that the request to annex Auguste was put forth. Moreover, until now the Empire has been content to hold the current line, never making any major move to break the stalemate. If you ask me, the imperial higher-ups want to divert as much of Auguste's manforce as possible from searching for the pollution source, so that they have the time to finish whatever they're doing."

"That... is even worse than war. To purposely prolong people's sufferings for their own nefarious schemes is simply atrocious." Zahlhamelina frowned, eyes clouded by concern. "You are friend with Sir Eugen, right? Have you shared those thoughts with him?"

"Yeah, I did. He said it was one more reason to break the Empire's nose and told everyone to double their efforts. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a delivery to complete." He began to walk away before stopping. "You know, you shouldn't be so quick to help everyone you meet with their troubles."

"...I don't understand what you're saying Sir Archer." Zahlhamelina tilted her head as if astounded at her own inability to decipher the meaning of Archer's words. "Isn't helping those who need it the right thing to do?"

"So it would seem." He wistfully replied without turning back. "However, most people have trouble understanding actions done without self interest. Rather, it's very rare for someone to take for granted selflessness as a possible motivation for one's behaviour. Some would express doubts. Doubts will become rumors, and eventually they would take those rumors for reality. When that happens-"

"-Good intention are poisoned. I now understand your warning Sir Archer." She nodded. However, there were no traces of unease in her next words, only conviction. "But you don't need to worry: if my actions cause a misunderstanding I'll clear it. If people ask why I help them I will tell them of the events that inspired me. I will not stop following my ideals because of a mere possibility: doing so would mean betraying everything I stand for."

"Truly you are as radiant as your namesake, Sun Priestess." Archer chuckled while resuming his walk. "I hope you will never come to regret that decision."

"Worry not Sir Archer!" She waved, a smile on her lips. "Thank you for worrying so much! You truly are a good person!"

"Not nearly as much as you think." He muttered under his breath while lazily waving back.

Making a small detour he passed through the market, taking note of the food selection and planning what to make for dinner based on the best choices available.

"Hey there bro!" Until, while passing a certain stand, a piece of roasted squid on a stick was almost shoved into his face. "This here food. It's really tasty ya know! You absolutely gotta eat it! Aaaabsolutely!"

Sighing at his own idiocy, because he really should have seen it coming, Archer accepted the piece of squid and took a bite. "Uhm...the squid is of good quality, the sauce is well done and the flesh was cooked just the right amount."

"So?" The one manning the stand leaned forward in anticipation.

"So?" The two other idiots leaned from behind Archer.

The Servant of the Bow smiled smugly. "So, considering the rate between quality and price, I suppose it ranks high as a snack for those lacking enough time to sit down for a proper meal."

"The Master approves!"

"Wheeey!" All three of them cheered while raising thumb-ups.

And of course, they completely missed the sarcasm. Wondering which one of his past sins warranted this kind of punishment he once more observed the most recent banes of his existence.

Manning the stand was Lowain, a blond Erune with tanned skin -though not as dark as his own- and a goatee. He wore a leather outfit that left his back and his sides bare, the front covered by a simple blue piece of cloth. Next to him were Elsam and Tomoi, two other Erunes in similar clothes that could pass for twins. They were loud, boisterous and for reasons that escaped Archer they talked in a ridiculous slang he had trouble following.

Sadly, Archer made the mistake of proving himself a better cook than Lowain, though he had to give credit where it was due and admit that the blond idiot was good at his job. That coupled with, in their words, his 'totally radical' looks persuaded the trio to declare Archer both their new best friend and teacher in the culinary arts.

Oh, he had no qualms teaching them how to improve their cooking.

He just wished they would actually _shut up_.

The owner of Lowain's stand came out and began yelling: "Hey! Stop the racket and get back to work! Idiots!"

Taking advantage of it Archer quickly made his departure while the trio was busy laughing off the scolding. Reaching his first destination he entered the shop and held out the bag with the medicinal herbs. "Miss Karteira. I have the herbs you asked for."

"Just what ah needed!" The orange-haired Erune with a peculiar accent snatched the bag from Archer's hands and began to make calculations on her big abacus. She was dressed in a green and orange dress with a cape over it, a large circular bag on her back. "Add this...remove that...perfect! The healing potions will be ready fer tomorrow, and that means no delay! Yer a lifesaver, Archer!" She laughed while slapping his side repeatedly.

"I just collected a few herbs. If you want to thanks someone do so with those who actually make the potions." He told her.

"Still up to yer 'modest of the year' act, ain'cha?" She waved her finger with a smirk. "Try to be a little arrogant, gurls find it sexy! Ah guarantee it!"

"I thank you for the advice, but I have no interest in being seen as 'sexy'." He smiled politely. "For the reward, you can give it to Auguste's Fund for Assistance to Victims of War."

"Like always, uh? Yer a real philanthrope Archer." The merchant put the tip of her index finger over her lips. "Don't ye want to save even a little?"

"I do. It's just that my lifestyle doesn't require much money. So why not give the majority to people who have an actual use for it?" He shrugged before leaving the shop. "Goodbye Miss Karteira. If you need my services again you know where to find me."

"Ye can count on it!" She shouted back.

"Honestly, where do the people of this city find so much energy?" He wondered while entering another shop, aptly named 'Knickknack Shack' due to it providing everything, from goods to personnel and even job requests. Not seeing the usual shopkeeper he addressed the only other person present, a harvin with fluffy brown hair that was currently giving her back to him. "Excuse me, do you know where the shopkeeper went?"

"Eeeh? Siete, I didn't know you were on Auguste." The Harvin turned around, revealing a parrot perched on her shoulder and bright blue eyes that widened a little when they took in Archer's figure.

"Eeh? Eeh?" She tilted her head left and right, the parrot imitating her. "You're not Siete."

"Sorry, I know of no one called Siete." Archer crossed his arms. "You must have mistaken me for someone else."

"No way! Ahaha!" She clapped her hands in delight. "Sorry, sorry. You're right, I confused you with someone else: your voice is identical to an acquaintance of mine."

That was a likely possibility, though Archer had to admit it was the first time it happened to him. "No harm done."

"Say, say." She lifted one finger. "Can you do me a little favor? Can you do a very smug smile?"

Archer raised an eyebrow, wondering what she was up to, before complying and producing the smile he perfected for the purpose of taunting his enemies. "Like this?"

"The same! Amazing!" Her eyes sparkled as she spread her arms. "Are you sure you're not the long lost brother of Siete?"

"Yes, I'm sure." His smile dropped. "I can say with absolute certainty that there is not a single person in this world with which I share a link of blood"

"Boss, here's the register you asked for." Just now the shopkeeper came out from the back. "Oh, hey there dude. Everything went well?"

"Yes." He replied. "By the way, you should lower the reward for this kind of request: it was too easy, no way those monsters are worth that much money."

"Ah ah ah! It's not the monsters that are weak: it's you who are just too strong dude!" He laughed.

"So, so!" The Harvin stood on the tip of her feet while raising a hand. "Who is this?"

"Ah, that's the first time you're meeting him, right Boss?" The shopkeeper nodded. "He's Archer, the guy that since two months ago singlehandedly broke all the records for requests successfully completed here on Auguste. There is nothing he can't do: you ask, he can do it."

"You're giving me too much credit. I just have a general knowledge of different topics, any true master of it can easily beat me." Archer scoffed before raising an eyebrow. "Wait, Boss?"

"My name is Sierokarte!" She introduced herself. "Owner of the Knickknack Shack and all of its branches! Nice to meet you Archer. Let me guess, you're the type of guy who's _as straight as an arrow_."

Archer stared at the grinning Harvin with a deadpan glare before, in a very flat tone, saying: "If that was an attempt to appear cute, it completely failed."

"So crueeeeel!"

"Wow, this is the first time I see someone say that to the Boss' face." The shopkeeper commented, actually looking impressed. It made Siero tear up even more.

"I'm just saying the truth. She's an adult, correct? Then she can handle it." Archer nonchalantly replied before walking towards the shop's exit. "For the money, the usual please. I'll come back tomorrow to see if there are new requests. Remember what I said about the excessive reward. Goodbye."

"Sure, sure. See you tomorrow, then, dude!" The shopkeeper lazily waved before facing Siero again and holding out the register he brought with him. "Hope you're not upset Boss. That was just harmless joking, you know? Anyway, here's the register."

Siero shook her head a few times, her usual smiling expression quickly replacing the tears. "What did he mean with the 'usual'?" She asked instead of taking the register.

"Almost all the money Archer makes he gives to Auguste's Fund for Assistance to Victims of War or other charitable organizations. Seriously, he completes so many requests alone the other Agents are complaining they're without job." He shrugged. "Between you and me, I think he's some kind of workaholic."

 _'That happens when someone goes beyond their limits. I know mine, so it's just a good work ethic.'_ Archer thought while walking down the street, his reinforced hearing able to follow the conversation even when he was not present anymore. Not that he was walking quickly or was interested in what they were talking about: it was just a whim, and once outside range he immediately forgot about the conversation.

Though, he had to agree to one part of it and admit he truly was dedicating every free minute of his waking hours (and even then, he needed to sleep way less than a normal person) to work and assist those in need: it's just his nature as an [Ally of Justice], he would never turn down the chance to help people.

That aside, Archer reflected as he reached the building where Eugen coordinated his operations, he still had no idea what to do beside helping Auguste with the current crisis. The war would eventually end, especially if he had any say in it, and things would return to normal. He could continue what he was currently doing, he had nothing against it, yet in all honesty such a decision reeked of complacency. There was more he could do, he was sure of it.

The only question was what.

"Young lady, you can use healing magic?" He suddenly heard the eye-patched man's voice as he climbed up the stairs. Reaching the main hall he saw three of Eugen's men, one of them sitting on the ground with an injured leg. However a young girl was treating it with a healing spell: she was around ten years old, with slightly tanned skin and dirty blonde hair tied into twin-tails that, curiously, turned orange, green and finally blue towards the end. In her hand she held a staff, his intuitive Structural Analysis revealing it as being a simple amplifier for her spells.

Archer was thankful that the Sky Realm was made of roughly the same elements found on Earth, and that what was foreign he could understand with enough time and effort. At the beginning he has feared everything would be the same as that cursed pseudo-spiral sword.

"This much is nothing!" She replied with pride as the man stood up, his leg healed. "Are there more hurt people here?"

"I sure hope not. Otherwise it means my training isn't effective and I need to increase it." He inserted himself into the conversation. He could understand the need to recruit civilians, and that was why he made sure to grill the basics of combat into everyone until he deemed them fit for active duty. The girl gave him a surprised look, but he ignored it in favor of staring disapprovingly at the three men, who were shifting awkwardly.

"Oh, Archer!" Eugen's lone eyes light up. "Just on time, I want to introduce you to some guests."

Shifting his gaze he took a few moments to observe the six people next to Eugen. The first was a thirty-something guy with dark brown hair: he wore a yellow shirt and green pants, light armor covering his torso, arms and legs from the knee and below. Sheathed on his back was a musket, with a smaller gun and a nameless short sword that never saw much use in combat on his sides.

The second was a young woman with long brown hair and fair skin dressed in full armor, save for the lack of helmet, and a cape. On her waist rested a rapier named **Rukalsa** : nothing truly exceptional, but it was of exquisite making and it served as a catalyst for her ice magic.

The third was a young man, not even eighteen by Archer's estimate, with messy light brown hair. He wore a blue hoodie and brown pants, his armor over that similar to the first guy. The moment Archer laid his eyes on the sword sheathed on the young man's waist his right eyebrow rose by a minute amount in surprise, only his ironclad discipline preventing a more exaggerated reaction.

It was a double-edged sword colored green and golden, whose center was hollow and the guard shaped like wings spreading out. The reason for Archer's surprise was the sword's name: **Almace** , the same as one of the Noble Phantasms recorded within Unlimited Blade Works. With his mind's eye he could see the complete record of the sword appearing inside his inner world next to its namesake from Earth: while the first was a strong magical sword, wielded by a solitary warrior that eventually fell while facing an entire army alone, it still paled in comparison to the Noble Phantasm, its plain appearance of a simple straight sword with a silver guard and a handle wrapped in goat's hide belittling its real power as a tool made to punish the wicked and liberate the oppressed, extremely fitting since its original wielder was an Archbishop.

It wasn't the first time during his sojourn on Auguste that Archer has heard about a name that also existed on Earth. While coincidences like that weren't unlikely to occur, the number of cases made him suspect he wasn't the first individual, or object, that travelled from Earth to the Sky Realm: it made sense, since if the method that brought him there was recorded within the Moon Cell then it meant it has been used in the past. It made him wonder, even if he had no use for it, if there was a way to do the journey in reverse.

The fourth one was a girl, her apparent age similar to the boy with Almace, with long blue hair who was wearing only a white sundress with a pair of sandals, two golden forearm guards and a chest emblem with a blue gem and two golden wings.

The fifth member of the little group caused Archer's left eyebrow to join its twin. An Erune woman with long blond hair and a single braid going under her left ear, she wore a white jacket under a silver chestplate, an open white shirt around shorts and white boots with black leggings.

Most interesting however was the sword sheathed on her side: Archer needed a few instants to realize that the white and golden sword with a sparkling pink blade and the shield of similar making around the woman's left forearm were part of the same weapon, a sword and shield combination that could combine to form a greatsword. How novel, especially since it could very well become a Noble Phantasm in the future given the right circumstances: it already had a long history of being wielded by members of the same family through many generations, who refined a style focused around the weapon, **Relic of Ditoria** 's abilities.

Though he questioned the past wielders' naming sense: seriously, _Heavensbane_ and _Starslayer_? Those were the kind of names a kid playing make-believe would use to call his attacks with an imaginary sword.

Finally, the sixth- _was that a baby **dragon**?!_

An instant later Archer clamped down on his surprise, only a quick blinking of his eyelids giving it away. Despite having never met in person what in his old world was considered the pinnacle of the Phantasmal races, only through records and the history of some of his blades, he was keenly aware of how formidable and dangerous dragons were. In this new world, on the other hand, what he read of dragons painted them as mighty creatures that, while powerful, by his own opinion were not on the same level as those of his own world.

So there was no way the creature in front of him was a real dragon, even a baby one: his own instincts weren't classifying it as a threat, and no one else was surprised at its presence. Still, even if it only looked like a baby dragon it was still a fascinating creature.

The...cub, for a lack of better terms to use, had an orange, still scaleless skin, with the chest, abdomen, muzzle and paws being a creamy white. Of his paws, the front ones had four claws each while the posterior ones had only three claws each: curious, but magical creatures rarely follow the standard rules of biology. That was further demonstrated by the eyes: not reptilian, but unnervingly human-like and possessing an intelligence on the same level. It was no mere beast, and Archer half-expected it to be capable of human speech too. Two small purple wings extended from its back, the lack of flapping despite the cub hovering in the air proof of an instinctual use of magic. The head has fox-like ears and four purple horns: two short, straight ones under the ears and two above them, flat and folded forward like the ears of some types of dog. Finally, around its neck it had what at first glance looked like a collar, but the four precious gems set on the cross-like locket hanging from it disproved such a ludicrous idea: it was more likely a symbol of some sort, or maybe a gift.

He hoped, dragon or not dragon, that it hadn't the habit of singing. Or at least, that it wasn't as bad as that obnoxious pink-haired girl.

All of the above happened within Archer's mind in the few instants Eugen took to look back at his guests. "Everyone, this is Archer: he's, literally so, my best man. Without him, myself and my ragtag bunch of recruits wouldn't be nearly as successful as we are."

"I see you're still good at making other people do your work for you." The guy with dark brown hair commented.

Archer raised an eyebrow. "Speaking from personal experience?"

"Sadly, yes." He answered while making a defeated face. Without a doubt, he was an old acquaintance of Eugen: despite their relatively short time together Archer had a good grasp of the old Agent's personality, though in the reincarnated Servant's case he would have helped even without the small manipulation.

"That aside, what happened?" Archer gestured with his chin to the three men.

"A monster appeared on the east coast." Eugen explained. "How's the situation on the west coast?"

"Cleared up. Uhm, their numbers are increasing by the day." Archer commented.

He knew that, despite being classified with the general term of 'monster', most of Auguste's animals were, even if hostile to humans, unwilling to leave their personal territories. So he doubted they somehow sensed Mizarea was suffering from a lack of fighting force and was thus less guarded, so they decided to take advantage of it. Mindless machines can keep waiting for years for a weakness to show up, animals tend to avoid unneeded troubles.

So he asked himself: was there something that attracted them to Mizarea?

"It seems to me you need a hand." The young girl walked past Archer. "Let me help. I'm a mage."

"Oh, that would be a big help." Eugen smiled. "Then, would you take a look at some of our people in the infirmary over there?" He looked at the corridor that lead to the building's infirmary, another of Eugen's men standing on attention and ready to act as a guide.

"Sure! Let's go Vyrn!" Then, to Archer's amusement, she grabbed the cub's tail and proceeded to drag it with her.

"M-Me too?!" It replied in a childish male voice, proving Archer's theory that it could understand and speak human language. His lips turned slightly upward as he saw a being similar to a baby dragon being treated like the team's mascot.

"I also know a thing or two. I would like to help too." The female knight said.

"In that case, beautiful knight-" Archer, despite the current situation made a wry grin at Eugen's subtle-as-a-brick flirting. "Would you help Archer with the troops' training? There are too many for him to handle alone."

"I would also like to extend a helping hand." The Erune woman spoke before looking at the brown haired guy with Almace. "If you allow it Boss, I'll teach those guys how to gain some muscle and better protect their turf."

Archer found himself raising once again one eyebrow in surprise. Those words and that way of speaking, it was suspiciously familiar...

"You don't need my permission Yuisis." He waved her off with a smile. "If you want to join Katalina, go for it."

"I don't mind." Deciding to shelve those questions for later Archer crossed his arms while speaking. "It means I'll have more time to warn them about shameless old men that go for girls clearly too young for them, and how they seem to abound around here."

"Go-Wait what?!" Eugen nodded, only to finally realize Archer's words and gape in shock. The others, minus the brown haired boy and the blue-haired girl, laughed, with the man with the guns offering Archer a thumb-up of approval. "Oh, you cheeky brat! I saved your life, and that's how you repay me?"

"Of course, how unbecoming of me." Archer bowed and spoke like he was truly sorry. "Clearly, to respect the laws of hospitality one must also be willing to indulge his host's habits. Even if they're reprobable and unbecoming of him."

This sparked a new round of laughter, this time with everyone save Eugen and Archer joining in. The old Agent's eyebrow was dangerously twitching. "You know Archer, I hope you had nothing planned for the next week...because you just earned all the guard and scout duties."

Archer kept smiling smugly out of sight. If that was Eugen's idea of punishment, he still had a lot left to learn about the Servant of the Bow.

* * *

"Excuse me, Mister...Archer?"

Archer looked back at Katalina. "Is that a question?"

"Ah, that's not what I mean. Sorry." She waved her hand. "I was just wondering what kind of training you're giving Eugen's agents, since he admitted most of them were civilians until recently."

"I'm a follower of the School of Hard Knocks." He returned to looking ahead. "That's how I learned myself."

"School of Hard Knocks?" She mused while cupping her chin in thought. "I can't say I am familiar with it. Is it perhaps a training regime that originated here in Auguste?"

Archer snorted, a wry grin forming on his lips.

"Tough love? I approve!" Yuisis, on the other hand, looked enthusiastic. "Nothing let family members bond faster than a trial by fire together. That's how me and the Boss met after all."

"I don't really mind, but didn't Gran say just using his name or 'Captain' is fine?" Katalina reminded the Erune woman. "Wait, do you know about this 'School of Hard Knocks' Yuisis? What does things like 'tough love' and 'trial by fire' have anything to do with it?"

"It's a metaphor to indicate wisdom gained through life experience and not formal education." Archer helpfully supplied. "In this case, it means having inexperienced people fight until they pick by themselves the correct way to do it."

"Y-You're serious?!" Katalina looked back and forth between Archer and Yuisis. "I mean, I can see some of the benefits of such an approach, but wouldn't this result in injuries happening more frequently?"

"Why do you think the infirmary is full most of the time?" Looking at the knight's aghast face he waved a hand. "I jest, I jest. I leave nothing that doesn't get better after a good night of sleep. So please do the same, otherwise your little friend will have even more work today."

Reaching for a door Archer's hand landed on the doorknob but didn't push it down. "That remind me: if I may ask, I am correct in saying you're a crew of skyfarers who are aquaintances with Eugen?"

"That's correct: we are a crew, but only Rackam, our helmsman, has met Eugen before today." Katalina answered.

"And the one called Gran is the Captain?"

"Yes. He's young, but very talented."

 _'You don't say. It doesn't change the fact that half of your crew is made up of kids as green as they can get, and that you trust one of the latter to make the important decisions.'_ Archer thought within his mind. Normally he had no reservations about speaking his impressions out loud, no matter how impolite they were.

That said, those people were strangers to him so it was no business of him how they handled themselves.

Even if they were a rather odd bunch.

With that final thought Archer opened the door and stepped into the outside area designed as training ground. Already a good number of Eugen's agents was waiting there, all of them gulping when they caught sight of Archer smiling.

"Good day everyone. I see you're all in good spirits. That's great, since _you will need it_."

* * *

Rackam, exhausted after a day of hard work, let himself fall down on the couch. Leaning back until he was facing the ceiling and his arms were hanging behind the couch's top edge, he released a sigh while marveling at the softness of the the piece of furniture. "You people need to take better care of your ships."

Eugen laughed at Rackam's words. "The thing is, we're suffering from a labor shortage." Taking two glasses he filled them with a strong drink.

"So that was your intention then. Bring us here and put us to work?" Rackam looked up with an offended expression.

The older man held out one of the glasses. "After all the things I did for you, it won't kill you to return the favor."

"I thought I already did it after slaving away on your ship for years." The helmsman's offended expression crumbled as he took the glass. "You're as crafty as ever, old man."

"Can't say the same of you, Rackam. You changed." Eugen sit down on the opposite chair. When Rackam made a confused sound he continued with a serious expression. "Why did you put that kid in charge of the Grandcypher? Entrusting somebody else with that ship, that's not the old Rackam I knew."

"I'm not cut out to be a captain." He replied with a self-deprecating smile.

"That's it?"

Rackam turned to look out of the window with a nostalgic expression. "He said he's always wanted to be a skyfarer...to see the end of the sky with his own eyes. The kid's so straight-laced it's naïve." He shrugged. "So I guess I can't help but want to give him a hand..."

"Oh?" Eugen leaned back on the chair with an amused smile. "I see, I see."

"What?" Rackam asked, not liking the other man's tone.

"You've joined the ranks of us old men." Eugen replied with an almost proud tone before drinking from his glass.

Rackam made a 'tch' sound. "Don't put me in the same boat as you. I wasn't the one being made fun of by a younger guy." He also took a sip from his own drink. "A sharp tongue, that Archer guy. Where did you find him?"

Eugen's lips twitched in irritation before he decided the drink in his hand took precedence. "Floating in the ocean unconscious. Almost missed him, really."

"Is that how you saved his life?" He mused, one hand stroking his chin. "When I was repairing the ships the people there knew exactly what was wrong, they just lacked the expertise to fix the problems. When I asked how they knew they told me it was Archer who identified the problems."

"That's how he is: fighting, repairing things...even cooking. He can perform almost any task, some better than others." Eugen revealed. "And among us, he's also the one who works the hardest. At times I think he is a blessing sent by Lord Leviathan."

"Sound like a handy guy to have around." Rackam took another sip. "Is Archer his real name, or just a nickname he got stuck with?"

"That's the only name he responds to." Eugen's mood turned contemplative. "When I asked about it for the first time he told me, and I quote: 'Names are for people that really matter. Me, I'm just a simple Archer'."

"Ah?" The Grandcypher's helmsmen raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"I had the same reaction." The old Agent chuckled. "It took some time, but he eventually admitted that he _had_ a name, but now it's gone. Along with his past."

"...Amnesia?"

"I thought so at first, but I don't think that's it. Rather..." Eugen looked out of the window. "I have the feeling he was burdened so much from his past weighing down on him that, at one point, he decided it was just better to cut off his ties with everything. Even his own name."

"...You say that, but isn't it a rather extreme thing to do?" Rackam commented in disbelief.

"Like I said, it's just a feeling." He took another sip from his drink, deciding to not mention why he felt that way.

Namely, that at times Archer's eyes looked even older than his own.

Io chose that moment to walk into the room, a tired Vyrn following after her. "We're done now!"

"I'm beat..." Vyrn whined.

"Oh, I appreciate the help." Eugen smiled, not feeling like burdening the young girl with the previous somber topic. "Go take a load off now, it's almost time for dinner. We're gonna eat good tonight, so wait a bit."

"Oh? Are you cooking, old man?" Rackam wondered. Going by what he remembered Eugen's food wasn't half bad.

"Nah, Archer's doing it." Eugen grinned. "He elected the kitchen as his own personal realm, but nobody's complaining since we get to eat like nobles every day."

"Sheesh, you weren't kidding when you said he can do it all."

"I can help with the cooking." Io added, still feeling energetic.

"Thanks, but that lady knight and blonde girl already volunteered, so it should be alright."

Rackam, who was in the middle of finishing his drink, spit out the liquid in his mouth at those words. While Io and Vyrn gaped. "You let Katalina into the kitchen?!"

"Are you insane old man?" Rackam accused.

"Uh?" Eugen blinked in confusion. "What's the problem?"

Rackam, Io and Vyrn looked at each other with resigned faces. "This is gonna be a disaster."

* * *

Archer scooped up some of the soup with a spoon and brought it to his mouth.

"Well?" Katalina asked in anticipation, Yuisis waiting to the side with some apprehension. All three of them were wearing aprons. "How is it?"

He finished the sample of soup and lowered the spoon, a neutral look on his features. "How to say it...your soup would have a huge success if served to a potential customer during a dealing."

"Because it's so good it would put him in a good mood?"

Archer smiled for exactly one second before sneering. "No, because he would agree even to selling his firstborn if it means never tasting this again."

Katalina gaped in shock before making an affronted face. "Come on! It can't be _that_ bad!"

Taking another spoon she scooped up more of the soup and put it in her mouth.

Archer dispassionately watched as the female knight violently retched into the kitchen sink, her back rubbed by a concerned Yuisis, before putting a lid over the pot with the soup. "Inedibility aside, this isn't too bad. I saw worse."

Both women stared at him.

Archer showed a wry smile. "Compared to _burning the water_ , everyone has a serious chance of improving."

Katalina went to sulk in a corner.

"I was praising you, you know." He remarked with a shrug. "When you're done, Miss Katalina, wash your hands again and peel the potatoes. Miss Yuisis, can you cut the-"

 _Boom! Boom! Boom!_

The three of them froze at the sound of repeated cannon fire. Then immediately after that they leaped to the window, Archer arriving first.

There, hovering above the docks, three black airships were firing their main pieces at Mizarea's buildings.

"Those are battleships from the Empire!" Katalina shouted. "Lyria!"

Archer _jumped_.

All Katalina could see was the flutter of Archer's apron suspended in the air, gravity having yet to get a grasp on it, before a loud cracking sound made her aware the red-clad man was now crouching down atop the rooftop of the opposite building, _more than twenty meters away._

Archer was unaware of it as he opened his magic circuits and let prana flow through his muscles and bones to cast a full-body Reinforcement, increasing even more the already superhuman abilities of a Servant's body. During the Holy Grail War it was the only way for him to stand up to more powerful and skilled enemy Servants until his Master did enough Alterations of the Soul, and even after that it was too good of an advantage to pass upon.

It was, after all, how he fought even before becoming a Heroic Spirit.

He leaped forward from his crouched position, soaring in the air towards a suspended bridge like a bullet. There only his right foot made contact with the bridge's surface before he jumped to another building and repeated the process a few more times, each step touching a different structure. When he reached a tall enough tower he ran up the wall, using his high moving speed and the available ledges to avoid falling down due to the effects of gravity.

Reaching the top he hoisted himself up with one hand to blow off momentum, balancing himself perfectly on the surface no larger than both of his feet put together and casting his hawk-like gaze at the attacking battleships and the area around them.

 _'Targets: three battle-class airships. They bear the Erste Empire's flag. Possibility of deception? Low. Main armaments are eighteen cannons on each side. Armor...irrelevant. A blitzkrieg tactic? Absurd, they cannot occupy Mizarea with the personnel of only three ships-oh?"_

His gaze moved to the port, where a fourth battleship was docked in front of a building used to host the merchant guild's meetings.

 _'Additional targets: thirteen members of Erste Army. One of them display the rank of Captain, the rest are simple soldiers. Sixteen hostages, two injured with no obvious bleeding. The Erste Captain is currently engaged in conversation with the blue-haired girl that is part of Miss Katalina's crew. Body language suggests she is there against her will. Chances of the attack being a smokescreen...high.'_

He spread his left arm to the side, fingers cupped as if ready to grasp something.

 _"Trace, on."_

* * *

"You'll cooperate with us, for the sake of those people." Pommern commanded with his saccharine voice, completely confident in his control over the situation. He looked from the captured Mizarea citizens to Lyria, waiting for her answer.

The blue-haired girl, despite being obviously scared and concerned for the hostages, nonetheless replied with a firm tone. "I don't want to go with you!"

"Oh?" He drawled, obviously amused at the defiance. "Then, tell me: what do you want to do?"

She stared at him in the eyes. "I want to continue our journey, with Gran, Katalina and everyone else!"

"A journey, is it? I'm afraid I can neither grant nor allow you that wish."

"Why?!"

"That's because you're-"

A bolt of light came down from the sky and hit the docked battleship, the following explosion drowning out whatever Pommern was about to say.

"What?! This can't be!" He cried when the explosion died down, revealing the battleship's engines were completely destroyed with unnerving accuracy. Looking back at Mizarea he barely managed to catch three identical bolts of light leaving the top of a distant tower and striking the other airships. They immediately started losing altitude. "This can't be! This-"

One airship, which was falling towards the city instead of the ocean, was then sieged by a barrage of smaller bolts and torn apart by explosions until only smoke and ash remained of it.

"Can't...be..." The gun fell from Pommern's shaky fingers, his eyes wide like saucers as he saw the entirety of his forces being annihilated in mere seconds. Everyone else present had a similar reaction, though due to different feelings: incredulity for the Erste soldiers and relief for the hostages.

"Lyria!" That was when Gran rushed into the scene, fighting past the enemy soldiers to reach the blue-haired girl. "Lyria!"

"Gran!" She shouted back.

"You again? It's one annoyance after the other." Pommern grinded his teeth together. "Soldiers! Elimi-"

Two spinning disks came down from the sky and swept through the soldiers that weren't fighting Gran, slicing through armour and weapons alike as if they were made of mere paper. With a mighty leap someone jumped from the nearby building and landed in front of the hostages, rising up to reveal the figure of Archer.

The spinning disks flew back towards him. He merely spread his arms and caught them, revealing a pair of short swords: they were identical save for the color, with one being black with a red tortoise shell pattern and the other being white.

"I thought the Empire wouldn't sink so low as to attack a city full of civilians." The red-clad man began with a condescending tone as he slowly walked towards Pommern. "I was wrong."

"W-Who are you?" The Erste Captain stammered.

Archer shrugged, his lips curling into a mocking smile. "Nobody of importance."

"You bastard!" The perceived insult filled Pommern with rage. Raising a hand he signaled to an Imperial Mage to step forward. "Remove those pests from my sight!"

The man had just the time to nod before Kanshou's hilt smashed into his face, breaking his nose and knocking him unconscious before continuing its path.

Archer lowered his arm. "I suggest you stay down. Lyria, was it? If you could retreat behind me it would make my work easier."

"Ah! Yes!" She ran to him and deeply bowed. "Thank you!" Then she continued past him to join Gran.

"Wait!" Pommern moved to stop her, only to recoil when Archer raised Bakuya in a threatening manner. "You bastard, are you aware you're interfering in official business of the Erste Empire?"

He raised an eyebrow in mock confusion. "Erste now make its official business endangering civilians and kidnapping girls? Color me... _unimpressed_."

"A girl? Don't be fooled by her deceiving appearance!" Pommern raged. "That's not a girl, but a tool that belongs to Erste! It's our right to get it back!"

"You're delusional, or maybe deranged. Either way, your words mean nothing to me." Archer coldly replied.

Behind Pommern the spinning Kanshou made a U-turn, its link with Bakuya calling the sword back.

"Then I will use a more persuasive argument!" Pommern took out from a pouch a glass tube, a purple gem floating inside, and raised it in the air. "Behold! The proof of Erste's superiority!"

Kanshou severed Pommern's hand, the limb and the glass tube falling to the ground while Archer calmly caught the sword.

"YYYYAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGHHHH!"

Ignoring the screaming Pommern Archer knelled down to inspect the glass tube with the purple gem inside. It was not a sword, but what he could gleam was enough to give him a general idea of the tool's purpose. "Is this what Erste is trying to do? Reclaiming the Astrals' bloody inheritance? You're nothing but fools."

He stood up and put a foot over the tube before crushing it.

Pommern stared aghast at his destroyed Dark Crystal. Forgetting for one moment his bleeding stump he looked up at Archer, only to freeze at the reincarnated Servant's merciless glare.

"Run, little man."

The Erste Captain found himself obeying the order, fear filling his brain so thoroughly he even forgot to pick up his severed hand.

* * *

"Clench your teeth." Archer warned.

The young man gave a shaky nod before closing his eyes and following Archer's advice.

"At my three. One-" He pushed, setting back the broken bone into place so it could heal properly. The young man gave a breathless gasp. "It hurts less when one doesn't expect it." He said as an apology to the breathless young man.

Using wooden sticks and bandages he made a makeshift cast before leaving his patient to rest. Though, even if he said 'patient' the reality was that all Archer could offer was first-aid. He wasn't a doctor, and among the items stored within his Reality Marble those that can heal only worked for him since he traced them.

A sword, after all, was a tool to hurt others, not heal them. Something as convenient as a sword whose blows heal instead of destroy doesn't exist.

As he walked down the corridor his gaze swept among the injured people, resting on makeshift beds while the mages who knew healing spells assisted them to the best of their abilities. Not many of them were left in Mizarea after the start of the war, and by Archer's estimate they would be barely enough to take care of the injured.

For those that didn't make it, all he could do was offer a short prayer before moving on.

"Sir Archer!" Zahlhamelina's voice came from ahead, followed shortly by the Harvin hastily walking up to the bowman.

"Lady Zahlhamelina." He greeted her. "I'm happy to see you're unharmed."

"I was outside the city when it happened. I ran back as fast as I could." He explained with a sorrowful gaze, likely for not being there to help in time. "I see there are many injured, I would like to offer my assistance."

"You can also heal with your powers, right? That would be very helpful."

"Archer?" One of Eugen's men approached him. "The Boss wants to see you in his room."

"Got it." Leaving the Sun Priestess with the other healers he walked up the stairs to the building's third floor.

"-Sorry." When he reached the door to Eugen's room he found it half-open, Lyria's voice coming out of it. "The Empire...they attacked the city because of me."

"None of that young lady." Came Eugen' stern but kind voice. "I told you, it's fine: Erste would have attacked sooner or later even without your presence."

 _'The question is, why is Erste so interested in her?'_ Archer wondered. There was something fishy going on, and his best bet to find out the truth was to stick closer to those at the center of the mystery.

He knocked on the door before opening it and walking inside. The crew's members and Eugen were gathered around a table, a map of Auguste spread open above it. "Did you want to see me?"

"That's right. Say Archer, do you have any idea where the origin of the ocean's pollution is?" Eugen asked. "We're planning to stop it and foil the Empire's plans as payback."

He crossed his arms and closed his eyes. "Well, I'm 80% certain I know where the source is."

"Real-Wait what!" Everyone blinked in confusion. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

"I was planning to do so during dinner. I got the confirmation I needed only today." Reaching the table he traced with his index finger the profile of a few shores. "Those are the places where most of the pollution was found. And those-" He gestured to the lines traced within the part of the map that represents the ocean. "Are the sea currents that operate there. In theory, by combining the two sources of data it's possible to calculate the most likely place where the pollution originates from."

"Yes, but only in theory." Eugen frowned. "I had that area scouted more than one time, but nobody ever found anything."

"That's because they were not searching in the right place."

The old Agent's lone eye blinked. "What do you mean with that?"

"They searched for the Empire's presence on the mainland, and never once thought-" The bowman tapped the map. "To look _underwater_."

"Underwater?" Rackam frowned before his eyes widened. "No way! You mean-"

"Yes." Archer grinned. "The pollution's source is almost certainly located within a _sea cave_."


	3. Chapter 2: Leviathan

**Disclaimer:** I don't own neither Fate/Extra nor Granblue Fantasy. I just write fandom based on those games.

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Leviathan**

"Useless! Useless! Useless! Why are you so useless?!"

Those manning the airship's bridge and the soldiers stationed there did their best to ignore the spectacle currently playing in the center of the room, either by focusing completely on their task or looking in the completely opposite direction.

In any other case the sight of a Harvin stomping down on the head of a kowtowing Human would have been hilarious due to the difference in height involved.

Any other case didn't have the Harvin being Furias, a general of the Erste Empire infamous for his short temper, utter callousness for any life that isn't his own and the willingness to kill anyone who displease him, even his own soldiers.

"My most...sincere...apologies...General." Pommern drawled through gritted teeth, his right hand clenched around the stump where the left used to be. "There were...unforeseen...interferences."

"Do you know what I can do with your apologies? Nothing! That's what!" He raised his boot and stomped down on the captain's head once again, causing the man to grunt in pain as his already abused face violently met with the floor once again. Normally Furias took delight in causing pain to others, but right now he was too angry to care. "I trusted your words when you said you could retrieve your oh-so-important specimen directly from Mizarea, and gave you not one but _four_ battle-class airships! And what do I get in return?"

Furias turned around and took a few steps before throwing his arms in the air. "Two airships sunk! While another was left in the city and the last one _is completely gone_! All of this in a matter of _seconds_! Never has Erste suffered such an humiliating defeat!"

He walked back to Pommern and stomped on his head again. "And all you can tell me is that there were _unforeseen interferences_?! Do you think I am an idiot? Do you Pommern?! Do I look like an idiot to you?!"

"A-Absolutely not! Never! General Furias, I swear that wasn't my intention!" Pommern tried to explain, only to freeze when he heard a rather sharp 'click'.

"I have half an idea to just shoot you and dump your body overboard." Furias sneered, a gun pointed straight at the captain's head. "You have five seconds to give me one good reason why I shouldn't, and it better be convincing."

"I can give you one right now: I want to hear what he has to say." A new, deep voice interjected.

Furias' features twisted into something even more ugly before he took hold of his emotions. Having recognized the voice, and knowing that the speaker was one of the few individuals he had to show a modicum of respect, the Harvin looked up and smiled condescendingly at the knight in black armor that just walked inside the bridge. "Oya oya? How surprising to see you here, Apollonia. Aren't you supposed to be busy with something else on the other side of Auguste?"

"I never gave you permission to use that name, Furias. Mind your place!" The Black Knight snarled. The soldiers present promptly did their best to wipe out that name from their minds, lest they accidentally blurt it out later and incur the imperial advisor's wrath.

"Woah! So scary!" Furias took a few steps back while waving his hands, the gun now hanging from his index by the trigger's ring. "If you're truly interested in this waste of space-" He shot a short glare at the still kowtowing Pommern. "-It's all yours."

The Black Knight watched the odious midget walk back to his raised throne before addressing the captain. "Pommern, was it? Stand up."

"Yes Your Excellency!" Pommern quickly pushed himself back on his feet while keeping his head down, not daring to meet the Black Knight's intimidating gaze. "I apologize for this unsightly appearance-"

"It matters not." The imperial advisor interrupted him. "You were trying to retrieve the Girl in Blue, correct?"

"Yes, Your Excellency."

"But you failed."

Pommern gulped. "...Yes."

The Black Knight hummed. "How?"

"I..." Pommern gulped again. "I don't know who or how, but all the battleships... _were sniped right out of the sky_."

Metal encased fingers clenched around the sword's hilt. "Tell me the full story. _Now_."

* * *

The day after the Empire's failed kidnapping the crew of the Grandcypher, with the addition of Eugen and Archer, left Mizarea with the goal of finally finding the source of the sea's corruption and putting an end to it once and for all. The one-eyed agent was at the helm of the motorized boat, while the white-haired man was sitting at the bow, using his superior eyesight to check for approaching hostiles. The rest of the crew was sitting between them.

Archer spared the crew of skyfarers a brief glance, seeing that Lyria and Gran were still mumbling among themselves while giving him their own brief glances, before turning back to stare at Auguste's sea. He might as well cut to the chase. "If you have something to tell me, you should do it now when you still have the chance. There is no telling what will await us at our destination."

The two teenagers released a small 'eep' of embarrassment. Really, if they wanted to be discreet they should have done so where he couldn't hear them. "U-Uh! Mister Archer!" Quickly composing herself Lyria put her hands on her lap before bowing. "Thank you so much for saving me yesterday!"

"I also want to thank you for helping me rescue Lyria." Gran was the second one to bow.

 _'That was it?'_ Archer shrugged. "There is no no need to thank me. I saw Erste soldiers taking civilians hostage and acted accordingly. It's not like I was trying to specifically save you."

"Even so, I am really grateful for what you did." The blue-haired girl insisted.

"Yeah, you were quite amazing!" Yuisis piped up. "One moment we were watching the airships and then! Wham! You were already on another building and running like the wind!"

"I agree with Yuisis here." Katalina added. "That was quite the impressive jump: without even a running start, you cleared more than twenty meters in less than a second."

"What? Twenty meters?! That's crazy!" Vyrn yelped.

"It's nothing special." Archer replied without turning back. "I knew people that could do the same, or even better. I'm just average in that regard."

Average among Servants, that's it. But this being an alternate dimension where magic and mythical creatures were still common, it was quite possible the people of this world still had the chance to become Heroic Spirits on their own. Moreover, the man now known as Archer has never been the type to underestimate possible dangers.

"I'm wondering what kind of company you kept that you would consider a jump of twenty meters 'average'." Rackam waved his hand with an awkward smile. "Changing topic, anyone saw who, or what, fired at the Empire's airships?"

The others shook their heads. "Not that I am not grateful. But you must admit it makes you wonder." Eugen grunted. "Oy Archer, you have the best eyes here. Did you know anything?"

"If you're asking me if I saw the origin of those attacks, then my answer is no." Technically true, since to do so he would have needed a mirror. "Also, monsters incoming."

"Eh?" Io looked left and right. "Where?"

"Under the surface. A school of Jawfishes, we will reach them in thirty seconds." He turned around to look at the crew. "Do you want to take care of it? Jawfishes aren't very strong, so they're an ideal choice to get used to the way Auguste's monsters fight."

"Leave it to us!" Gran declared without hesitation while taking out his weapon, the others following his example. Archer had to give them credit, they quickly took position as to cover each other's back.

"What do you mean, 'the way Auguste's monsters fight'? Monsters are monsters, right?" Vyrn asked.

"I assume Mister Archer is talking about how the local monsters dwell in the water, so we can't fight them like we do those on land." Katalina mused. "They'll probably pop out of the surface for quick attacks before swimming away, or aim at the bottom of the boat."

Eugen snickered. "Not quite Miss Katalina. Not quite. True, they do the latter with big ships-"

At that moment the water's surface broke in a dozen different points, the monsters jumping out of them: they had the form of large blue fishes, with spiky fins and large maws full of razor-sharp fangs. Reaching the jump's apex the Jawfishes, instead of falling down, began to wave their fins and move in the air as if they were still swimming in the water.

"But when they have people within their sight, they always choose a more 'personal' approach."

"What the?!" Vyrn gasped. "They're flying!? That's cheating!"

"I don't want to hear that from the flying lizard!" Io shot back.

"I AIN'T NO LIZARD!"

"Oh yes, that's absolutely shocking. Taking advantage of a natural ability to gain an edge in combat: truly, it cannot be anything but cheating." Archer deadpanned.

"This is not the time for childish bickering!" Rackam took aim with his musket and shot an approaching Jawfish. The blow staggered the monster before a second one finished it off.

"Who're you calling a child?!" Io protested with indignation. She waved her staff, collecting magical energy, before swinging in an arc and firing an ice spike that impaled another Jawfish.

"Focus on the fight!" Katalina admonished sternly as she delivers a flurry of thrusts with her rapier. Gran and Yuisis weren't idle either: the two were focusing on the other side of the boat, delivering single but powerful slashes at each enemy that came within their range.

Archer looked at Lyria with a raised eyebrow. "Please tell this doesn't happen all the time."

"Ah..ah ah ah..." Lyria laughed awkwardly before her eyes widened. "Uwah! Mister Archer, look-"

Without even turning the red-clad bowman traced a nameless blade and slashed behind him, bisecting the Jawfish that was trying to surprise him. "Yes?"

"-Out...oh, never mind."

Eugen laughed. "No need to worry about him, Little Miss! This guy is harder to surprise than an old hag. Ack! Back off you!" Without missing a beat Eugen raised his rifle and shot point-blank another monster. His single eye then narrowed. "That's...a Swordshark? I don't think it's wise to let that guy get close to the boat."

"Understood." Standing up Archer looked forward until he sighted the monster in question, the fin and sword-like horn growing out of the snout giving its position away. With the nameless sword still in his right hand he raised the other one. A sleek, black bow almost as tall as he was appeared in his left hand. Then he held the sword up to the bow and drew it back.

"Wait. Bow Guy, what are you doing?" Vyrn asked.

"What does it look like?" Archer barely needed to took aim, the Swordshark was a ridiculously easy target. "I'm about to shoot a monster that could seriously damage the boat before it comes closer to it."

"But that's not an arrow. That's a sword!" He protested. "They're not the same thing."

Archer released the string. Everyone physically felt the shot, the air shifting as the two kilos of solid steel crossed hundred of meters in little more than a second. The impact raised a column of water, the mangled body of the Swordshark hovering in the air for a moment before collapsing back into the water.

"For me, they are." Archer lowered the bow, a smug grin on his face.

"...Did he just shoot a sword from a _bow_?" Rackam's incredulous voice broke the ensuing silence.

"Uwah! I didn't know you can do that." Lyria looked very impressed.

"You cannot Lyria. It shouldn't be possible, but..." Katalina had a hard time coming to terms to what she saw. Then she blinked. "Wait. In the first place, where did they come from?"

"What do you think?" He asked back. He didn't have a real reason to hide his abilities, but he didn't need to freely share personal details either.

Her eyes narrowed, as if to say 'challenge accepted'. "A concealment spell? No, in this small space someone would have noticed. Teleportation is too much..."

"He created them with magic." Io suddenly said. "It was fast, but I noticed the build-up of magical energy. What kind of spell was that? I never heard of one which can conjure something as complex as a weapon."

"It's called Projection." Archer sit down and dismissed the bow, letting the crew observe the dissipating magical motes. "As it's core it's just the materialization of an object through a mental image of and magical energy. Where I come from it's considered an useless spell that is good only for training your magical control. I only use it because it fits my fighting style."

That said, his version of Projection was very different from the one used by other mages. If all they could create were empty shells, then the individual known as Archer was the only one, as far as he could tell, whose Projections could replicate every characteristic of an object, creating copies that, while inferior to the original, were still the result of a ridiculous amount of time and resources sublimated into a process of a few seconds with a meager cost in magical energy.

"No spell is useless!" Io frowned, as if personally offended by the statement. But before she could continue Eugen spoke again.

"We've arrived." He pointed to the coastline ahead, where the entrance to a sea cave could be seen. "That's the only sea cave in the area large enough to house large-scale activities. If the source of pollution is here, we'll find it inside."

* * *

Reducing the boat's speed to a minimum they slowly moved inside the cave's entrance, looking out for possible dangers.

"Ugh... The stench is getting worse." Vyrn complained, holding a paw over his nose.

"We must be getting close to the source of the pollution." Rackam observed.

"No kidding." For Archer it was even worse, since he could also smell the residual magic from whatever process those wastes came from. He had enough control to not let it affect him, but it didn't make the stench any better.

"By the way Eugen..." Katalina suddenly asked. "You wouldn't happen to be aware of the local legends pertaining to primal beasts, would you?"

That got Archer's attention: Primal Beasts were the closest equivalent of this world to Phantasmal Beasts, why would Katalina be interested in them?

"Local legends...Oh, like the one about how pieces of the Sky Map are protected by great primal beasts scattered across the Skydom?"

The Sky Map...he remembered coming across that term during his initial studies of this world's history. According to the stories spoken among Skyfarers it was a comprehensive map of the Skydom left behind by the Astrals, capable of leading whomever owns it to wherever they wish without fail. It was literally the 'Holy Grail' of the Skyfarers.

"I already told you about Lord Leviathan. There are also legends about Grani, a divine horse that carried a famous hero into battle during the Astral War. Oh, and it isn't local but here on Auguste it's also famous the legend of a supposedly 'Ice Empress' living in the coldest regions of Phantagrande. Some believed she lived around those parts before migrating elsewhere when the climate became warmer."

"You sure seem knowledgeable about this, Eugen." Rackam pointed out. "Have you been here a while?"

"Idiot! I was born here on Auguste." Eugen laughed. "Everyone who lives here has heard the tales."

"Huh? But I heard you were raised by wolves in the wilderness!"

There was a sharp 'click' as Eugen chambered a round, his face a mask of stone. "Just you wait, Rackam. Once we clear out the Empire's filth, you're next."

"What did I do?!" The brown-haired, smoking helmsman protested in a panic.

"Reaping what you sow, I believe the saying goes." Seeing the tunnel was widening Archer scanned through the darkness with his enchanted eyesight. He immediately saw it. _'Jackpot.'_

"Over here, everyone!" Io pointed! "There's some kind of huge...something!"

"What _is_ that?"

 _That_ was a large military complex built on one side of the cave. There were mine rails going through tunnels dug in the wall, towers connected by large pipes and a barbed wire wall encircling the whole building. On the wall's bottom were present drainage channels that released small streams of purple, sticky liquid: it pooled on the cave floor, spilling into the water and staining it before the liquid, being heavier, fell on the bottom and disappeared from sight.

"The source of Erste's pollution, no mistake about it." Eugen moved the rifle's barrel away from Rackam, much to the latter's relief. "Archer. You seeing anything suspicious?"

"No, and that's what worries me." His eyes were darting back and forth. "It's too quiet. It's like the whole complex is abandoned, but that is either too convenient or a clear sign something's wrong."

"No shit." Eugen grimaced. Moving closer to the only entrance the group jumped out of the boat and on the cave's floor. "The Empire started a war for this damn thing, I doubt they would be willing to just drop everything."

"This doesn't add up. And considering the lack of security..." Katalina looked around, using her experience as an ex-Erste Officer to see if she recognized something. "Is this a trap?"

"Almost certain." Archer raised a hand towards the gate, intending to perform Structural Grasp on it. "The other possibility, that the Empire has already completed what they were working on here, is even worse."

The sudden sound of mechanical gears and heavy stomping made him jump back, Kanshou and Bakuya forming in his hands. A moment later the gate was crushed from the inside, a three-meters tall robot stepping over the remains to confront the group. Its legs were tiny compared to its body, with the right arm being twice as big as the left one. Coming out of the top of its 'head' was a hybrid between an axe and a gear, bizarre but as sharp as the former. Instead of eyes it had a single glass visor, which was glowing an ominous red.

"So something _was_ guarding this place!" Io cried.

"Katalina! Yuisis! With me, we'll take the front!" Unsheathing his sword Gran began to issues orders. "Rackam! Io! Protect Lyria and Vyrn! Mister Eugen! Mister Archer! Can you provide support?"

"Piece of cake!" Eugen grinned while him and Archer darted to the right side of the robot, while Rackam and Io did the same to the left side. "I'd say this guy's weak points are the legs. What do you think, Archer?"

"I agree. It may be strong enough to fight efficiently, but those disproportionate arm and legs makes its balance fragile." He replied before dismissing the two falchions and switching to his bow. "I'll take the left one."

"The right one is mine then!" Coming to a stop Eugen took aim with his rifle and fired at the back of the right leg's knee. The blow hit just after the robot tried to deliver a devastating punch to the frontline attackers, only for them to dodge out of the way, making it slightly stumble.

Then Archer's sword-arrow punched straight through the left knee, followed by a second one doing the same with a tiny gap on the hips. Rackam's bullets and Io's ice spikes slammed into the robot's back, making it fall on its knees as it used its large right arm as support.

"Let's finish this!" Taking advantage of the moment of weakness Gran and Yuisis ran at the robot.

It raised its left hand, but it was stopped by Katalina stepping in front of the blow and creating a magical barrier. "Light Wall!"

"I'll finish this with my own two hands!" Yuisis shouted as she and Gran jumped in front of the robot's head and stabbed their swords through the red visor.

The robot lurched violently, steam escaping by the gaps in its armor, before falling silent, its whole body going slack.

"Yay! We won!" Io cheered.

"Uhm...Io? There are more." Lyria pointed to the destroyed gate, from which three more identical robots were coming from.

"Oh, come on!" The twin-tailed little mage loudly protested.

* * *

"Whew..." Io wiped the sweat from her forehead. "W-Was that the last of them? The enemies are all gone now, right?"

"Quit shaking in your little boots." Rackam looked around and nodded: seem like they were in the clear. "We can handle anything that comes our way!"

"Y-Yeah, I guess you're right..."

"You've found yourself a tough little crew, Rackam. And Gran." Eugen addressed the young boy, who was having his wounds healed by Katalina. "For a spacy, unfocused upstart you're not bad. Better then I thought anyway."

"Ah, thanks." He scratched his cheek in embarrassment. "But like you said, I've still got a long way to go."

"You've always so hard on yourself, Gran!" Vyrn waved a paw. "You can just accept it when people compliment you, y'know?"

"Have faith in yourself!" Yuisis winked. "A Boss needs to be humble but also confident, otherwise other families will look down on him."

"You don't believe me? Let's hear a second opinion then. Hey Archer!" Eugen called out to the red-clad bowman. "What do you think of Gran and his little crew?"

The white-haired man stood up from where he was checking one of the fallen robots and faced them, arms crossed and right eyebrow raised. "What do I think? Let's see...Miss Katalina is an excellent swordswoman, though that long cape is just asking for an enemy to grab it. And what do you need more than one belt for?"

The brown-haired woman slightly blushed, one hand clenching around the cape as she looks away. "But, it's fashionable..."

"Fashion has no place on the battlefield. Rackam is a likewise good, if inexperienced, gunslinger. But, as we have seen, his weapon lacks the power to damage heavily armored enemies."

"Can't really object there..." Rackam replied, aware of his own weaknesses.

"Io, your magic is strong but you need to learn how to use it while moving. A mage who stand still on the battlefield is just asking to be singled out."

"No need to worry." She puffed out her chest with pride. "If someone comes too close I'll just blast them away!"

"What about an enemy which is resistant to magic, or someone else with ranged attacks?"

"Guh!"

Archer closed his eyes. "I'll pass over commenting about Vyrn and Lyria, since I haven't seen them doing anything-"

Both lizard and girl felt like a figurative arrow just stabbed them.

"So let's skip to the most glaring issues." He pointed a finger at Gran and Yuisis, palm facing upward, before snapping his fingers. "You, Gran. Before the one you have now, you used a lighter sword with a curved single-edged blade and a hilt with a single-handed grip, correct?"

He blinked, the shock clear in his eyes. "Y-Yes, but how-"

"It's in the way you wield it. You got used to a different type of weapon, so you kept using the same movements without adapting first." He walked closer and pointed first to Almace and then to Gran's chest. "You need to use both edges and both hands while fighting. Furthermore, that armor is not appropriate. Since your new sword emphasizes power over speed it will slow you down, so you need a better one: the one you have is good for gun users like Rackam and beginners, but if you want to keep being a close-range fighter you need to protect your body. Why?"

He pointed to one of the destroyed robots. "One single punch of them would have been enough to kill you. Blocking or dodging, it doesn't matter how - _never neglect to improve your ability to survive. There are no do-overs in death. Do you understand?_ "

The last words were delivered with a tone as cold as ice. No one felt like speaking, and all Gran could do was gulp before giving a shaky nod.

The tension suddenly melted as Archer nonchalantly shrugged and shook his head. "Let's hope so. Finally, we come to the issue." Tilting his head he glanced at Yuisis. "Simply put, you aren't using your weapon at its full potential."

Her eyes narrowed. "Big words, but can you back them up?"

"You calling me a con? I can and will, solid as a rock." Archer internally chuckled at the nostalgic feeling talking like that gave him. Ignoring Yuisis's visible surprise he pointed to her weapon. "Your sword can combine with your shield, but have you never noticed that when you block a blow with your shield it gains a slight luminescence that grows stronger with every following parried blow, but disappears after you combine it with the sword and then separate them?"

She blinked, opening and closing her mouth two times before finally finding some words to say as she looks down at the Relic of Ditoria. "I-I mean, yes? But, isn't it just something it, y'know, does?"

"Oh yes. It does." Archer smirked. "What it does, is storing energy from the deflected blows into itself and then releasing it when combined with the sword. With a fully charged effect, I assume it would more than _double_ your strength." He shook his head. "With weaker enemies it's not necessary, but remember it if you even face an enemy that seem invincible: it may save your life."

Yuisis' gaze snapped back up, boring into his own. "How...?"

Archer smirked again. "There is no one who knows as much about swords as me."

Then, without another word, Archer turned around and walked towards the gate.

"Ops, should have expected that..." Eugen muttered.

"Gosh! What's his problem?" Vyrn exclaimed with a frown. "There was no need to talk smack everyone!"

"I...cannot agree with you here, Vyrn." Katalina watched the retreating bowman's back. "His words were harsh, yes, but not rude. And it was sound advice, though he could have put it a little better."

"That's just the kind of guy Archer is." Eugen rested his rifle on his shoulder. "He rarely gives compliments and his teachings are brutal, but effective. And he never does or says something he knows you can't handle. Trust me, that's his way of showing he cares."

" _That_ is how he shows he cares?!" Io was the very picture of disbelief. "I dread to know how he treats those he dislike then."

"Mostly, with indifference." Archer's voice came from behind the gate, making Io, Vyrn and Rackam jump. "Are you coming or not? We don't have all day."

Eugen grinned. "Have I mentioned he doesn't have just a good pair of eyes, but also one of ears too?"

* * *

Archer removed his hand from the console, switching his open Magic Circuit to a dormant state to let it rest. Even with a Servant's body and mana capacity it was better to avoid putting too much stress on them unless absolutely necessary. It was a lesson learned with much blood and sweat. "Alright, this should do it."

Moving with confidence his hands pushed a few buttons and pulled a lever. The machines inside the base gave a shudder before going to work, metal plates rising around the vats from which the pollution came from to seal them; something similar was happening inside the drainage channels, making sure nothing escaped them.

"It's done?" Eugen asked.

"No."

Archer projected a large hammer (something he saw the local Draph smiths using, they sure used amazing tools) and smashed the console into an unrecognizable lump of metal. " _Now_ , it's done. No one will be able to reactivate the base until you can send a specialized crew to safely dismantle it. An explosion would cause the residual pollution to spill outside all at once."

"Yeah, that'd be bad news. Better to take it slow and safe." Rackam then whistled. "That was fast. Don't tell me, you also boast engineering among your numerous talents."

"Hardly." Archer replied, arms crossed and eyes closed. "Some functions and command placement are standards. If all you need is to turn everything off, everyone can do it."

That wasn't the whole truth of course: he had used Structural Grasp on the console, and while most of the science and magic involved was outside his understanding he could tell which causes would result in certain effects. In this case, which commands to select to shut down the valves. It was a trick that served him well during his mercenary days, and now as well. Knowledge of Spirit Hacking also helped, though right now he could only use it to speed up his processing ability.

The door opened, letting Gran and the others inside. "Found anything?" Eugen asked them.

Katalina shook her head. "Whatever they were doing, they packed everything up and left. I... _think_ it was some sort of weapon development, but I am not sure."

"Tch! Whatever." Eugen frowned. "I couldn't care less about whatever the Empire made here. The pollution has stopped, and the ocean can finally return to normal."

"If it's a weapon, there is a chance they will test it during the war." Archer pointed out.

"I dare them! I'll make mincemeat of it: that'll teach them!" Eugen said with determination. "There is nothing left here for us to do, let's return to Mizarea."

As they were leaving the base Yuisis used the opportunity to approach Archer. The bowman watched in mild curiosity as the Erune made sure the other were looking elsewhere before whispering. "The more I think about it, the more I'm sure. You're mafia too, right?"

Archer resisted the urge to sigh. "And what made you reach that theory?"

"The way you replied to my question, that's the way of one who is deeply involved with the business. You're clearly a fixer." She nodded with a grin, obviously proud of her conclusion. "It's obvious your gang would protect your turf if the Empire try to invade, those guys hold no rules and no respect. Is Mister Eugen the local Boss?"

Archer raised a finger to silence her. "You're wrong. I suppose there _may_ be a mafia group in Auguste, but I have no idea who is part of it. Eugen and I are truly simple members of a normal militia." Seeing she didn't look convinced he decided to reveal part of the truth, if only to avoid possible troublesome misunderstandings. "When I was young I lost my parents, and the local boss took care of me as a favor to my father. His granddaughter was my legal guardian: as such, I grew up among the other members. I was friends with them, but not part of the family business."

"Ah. Apologies, I overstepped my bounds." Yuisis gracefully accepted the explanation with a small bow. "I thought, if you were part of the local gang, that..." She trailed off before shaking her head. "No, nothing. Please forget it."

"No harm done." Whatever her thoughts were, it was no business of his. Although, did he want to know why a by-the-book yakuza woman was part of a skyfarer's crew?

No, he probably didn't.

* * *

"Boss! Archer! You returned just in time!" One of Eugen's men greeted them upon their return. "While patrolling we spotted a small group of imperial agents. They were obviously up to no good, so we followed them."

"You don't say? What did you find?"

"Sorry, at one point they discovered us and there was a battle. They got away, but we managed to capture one of them."

In that moment the air is filled by a piercing scream. "Lemme go! I said _let me go_! An agent of the Empire will never talk!"

"You mind helping us with this one?" The man rolled up a sleeve, revealing a lot of bite marks. "She got three of us with those teeth of hers."

"Would you look at that...That's one gutsy prisoner!" Eugen guffawed.

"Wait, that voice..." Seemly shocked Katalina ran inside the mansion. The others followed after her.

In the middle of the hall three adult men were struggling to restrain a slip of a girl that barely reached their chests. Roughly the same age as Gran, she had silver hair and eyes, wearing a full body blue and copper armor. Sitting in an angle were an one-handed sword and shield, obviously her weapons.

"Farrah?! Farrah, is that you?"

"Woaah!" The girl, Farrah, shouted in happiness. "Miss Katalina, sir! Wow, what're the odds? They captured you too?"

"No, not exactly. My days with the Empire are-"

"No need to explain! The fact that you came to see me says it all. Oh, how inspiring!"

So Katalina was once part of Erste. Archer had an inkling after seeing her sword's history, but that confirmed it.

"Well, somebody's in high spirits." Rackam snickered. "You know this girl, Katalina?"

"Farrah enlisted when I was still an officer. Before I met Lyria." The knight explained.

Lyria seemed slightly displeased at the news. "Hm.. So she has known you even longer than I have..."

"Good thing you two are friends. Imperial agents so close to the city are suspicious after the last incident, I'm hoping to get some answers from her."

"Never!" Farrah immediately replied to Eugen's words. "Never ever, ever! I won't say a peep!"

"Farrah..." Katalina tried to reason to her. "I know the current circumstances are strange, but can you tell me what your mission was?"

"I'm sorry Miss Katalina, sir! I can't reveal it, not even to you!"

"She's a tough nut to crack. Not even Katalina can get a word out of her." Rackam seemed more amused than disappointed.

"Miss Katalina taught me well." She boasted. "No matter what happens, a soldier of Erste never cracks!"

"You resolve is impressive Farrah." Katalina beamed in happiness. "You always were a fantastic student!"

"Heehee!" Farrah giggled, clearly pleased by the praise.

"Normally I would give the girl respect for not turning snitch, but what she knows could be useful..." Yuisis took out her sword and looked at the blade. "Maybe she'll sing if we rough her fierce?"

"Uwah?!" Farrah's eyes widened in fright.

Archer, seeing the chance for a small psychological gambit, shot Eugen a quick knowing glance before shaking his head. "I don't think it will work. Clearly, the girl has a will of steel that cannot be broken."

"That's right!" She nodded, internally sighing in relief.

"Let's just tie up and toss her in the sea. Problem solved, and one less soldier for Erste."

"Iieh?!"

"Might as well." Eugen grinned. "I just heard of an approaching pack of monsters. She'll make for both a great bait _and_ distraction as we line a killing shot."

"Monsters! Inhuman!" Farrah screamed in fright, legs moving back and forth wildly as the men holding her had to lift her body up in the air. "Miss Katalinaaaaa! Help meeee!"

"I think they're just pretending to make her talk." Gran whispered to a worried Lyria. "Play along."

"Oh, for the love of...Step aside!" Ruffling his hair in exasperation Rackam approached the panicking Farrah with a friendly smile. "Don't worry miss, nobody here is going to use you as bait." Seeing the distrustful look she was giving him the helmsman just carried on. "You're right. Following the rules laid down by your elders is important and shouldn't be punished."

"Course it is! I respect Miss Katalina as much as I respect my parents!" She hotly declared.

Rackam then lowered his voice. "Things are a little different now though. Katalina's in trouble. Don't you want to help her?"

"Oh?! So...So she wants me to talk? Would that make me a good soldier?"

"That's right!" Rackam assumed a pompous tone. "You just have to ask yourself...What's most important to you?"

"Lieutenant Katalina!" She immediately replied by instinct.

"What's the most important quality of a soldier?"

"Loyalty to one's superiors and country!"

"And what is the goal of today's mission?"

"Making sure the operation on Tzannis Plateau goes smoothly!" She said, before blanching in realization a few seconds later.

"All right! Good work!" Rackam clapped his hands. "Hear that, Eugen?"

"Wait a second! I want that struck from the record!" She pleaded.

"Tzannis Plateau, huh? Wonder what kind of operation they're doing there. Well, we can head there after resting a little."

Seeing that everything had been sorted out Archer made to leave, intending to look over the Plateau's maps. "Uhm, Mister Archer?" Only to stop when Gran called out to him. Turning around Archer watched as the brown-haired boy rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "When you said I needed a better armor...do you mind helping me choose one? Since you seem to be an expert..."

Archer kept looking at him, his expression unchanged, for a few seconds before finally saying: "...It's not like I have anything better to do. Follow me."

* * *

"Welcome to the Knickknack Shack!" Sierokarte cheerfully greeted Archer and the others before her eyes lit up. "Ooh, it's you guys!"

"Miss Siero? Nice to see you again." Gran greeted back. "Weren't you working in Valtz?"

"Where there is a Knickknack Shack shop and clients in need, Sierokarte is there!" She giggled. "So, how can I help you today?"

After hearing Gran's request for new armor Siero lead them to a room on the upper floor, where numerous manikins in different clothes were arrayed on opposing sides. "This is our current selection. Look as much as you like."

While Gran, Lyria and Vyrn observed the various armors with curiosity Archer walked briskly among them, only stopping once in front of one armor themed after a dragon before shaking his head and moving past it, silently muttering 'spears'.

Reaching the end of the exposition he turned around and walked back to the group. "As far I can tell you have three choices, depending on your preferences."

First he pointed to a red leather coat, with a matching feathered hat and knee-high brown boots. "This is made for those who mix magic with physical combat, mostly geared towards supporting allies and hindering enemies. I assume you don't know magic?"

"Ah, no I don't." Gran shook his hand. "There wasn't a magic teacher on my home island, though Io said she's willing to give me a few lessons..."

"Until then, forget about this set." Archer informed him with finality. Stepping to the side he pointed to a lightweight set of armor with a red breastplate, pauldrons shaped like dragon's claws and a fur collar. "This is similar to what you already have, but better. With decent defense, it allows you to move fast and hit just as hard. It's made from monsters' parts, so it's reliable."

"I see you know your stuff!" Siero observed with a grin. "Let me guess, the final one you recommend for our Gran is...this, right?" She finished, pointing to a third set of armor.

"Correct." It was a heavy set of armor with a large rectangular shield that could be worn on the back with the aid of straps. "Speed takes a hit, but defense is drastically increased. It's sturdy enough to withstand even a blow from a high-class monster, and the shield's width allows you to cover more than one ally."

Finished with his explanation Archer crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. "Those are your choices if you want to keep using a sword. The other armors? They're made to support the use of different weapons. So really, it's entirely your choice what to do: improving what you already know, or trying your hand at something new. You're young enough that things aren't set in stone yet."

"What do you think, Gran?" Vyrn flied closer to the second set of armor listed by Archer. "I like this one. It's red, and it resembles a dragon. We would make a great pair!"

"Uhm, this is similar to what Katalina uses." Io added, looking at the third set. "Being able to protect yourself and others better sounds good, but it _does_ look heavy."

"Can I?" Receiving a nod from Sierokarte Gran tried to lift the heavy armor's shield. He succeeded, but- "It's taking me everything just to lift this. No way I can move while also wearing the armor." He huffed after putting down the shield with a loud 'thud'. "Maybe If I train enough I could, but until then if there is an emergency I would be a sitting duck. Sorry Lyria, I'll take the other set."

"It's okay. The important thing is that it's useful to you, Gran." She replied with a smile.

Archer gave a minute nod. _'A good choice. Green, but not foolish.'_

"Yes! Thank you for doing business with the Knickknack Shack shop!" Siero smiled brightly before taking out a measuring tape. "Alright Gran, please take off your clothes!"

"Eeeeh?!" The two teenagers and one flying lizard shouted in surprise, their cheeks red.

"She needs your measures to adjust the armor." Archer explained with a scoff and a grin. "Why, did you think it would fit you right from the start? The craftsman didn't make it with you in mind, just someone with roughly the same height."

"Upupupu~" The Harvin laughed. "Don't you worry: when it comes to a customer, I am always _Siero_ -us!"

* * *

"No way! Hahahaha!" Rackam guffawed after hearing the story. "That's hilarious!"

"It was not..." Mumbling Gran pushed down the headdress of his new armor, a slight blush on his cheeks.

"Taking measures to adjust armor to a new user is a perfectly normal procedure. There is nothing to be embarrassed about." Katalina calmly explained, missing the point.

After Gran's little 'misadventure' he and the others have rushed toward the Tzannis Plateau, where Farrah said the Empire was having some sort of operation. Situated on the eastern side of Auguste the plateau offered a sweeping view of the archipelago. Tiny streams winded their way across the land until they spill into the ocean.

"Wow! Amazing! Look at all that blue over there!" Io cheered. "No matter how you look at it, the Auguste Sea is beautiful!"

"This isn't some field trip, Io..." Vyrn said. "You want me to take away your snacks?"

"Shut up, lizard!" She snapped in irritation. "Mind your own business!"

"Who're you calling a lizard? Do I look like a lizard to you? Help me out there, Gran!"

"Io, Vyrn is not a lizard." The brown-haired boy told the twin-tailed mage with a calm tone.

"I know, right?" Vyrn grinned while crossing his paws. "See, Io? I knew Gran would be on my side."

"Play nice, you two." Katalina gently scolded them. "Rackam, are you seeing anything out of the ordinary so far?"

"Not yet." He grumbled. "You don't think Farrah might have been lying, do you?"

"Considering it was _you_ who made her talk..." Archer commented while looking around. "Nothing so far. If the Imperials are here they're north-east, past the swamps and the forest. It's the only place on the Plateau that I cannot see from here."

"You can see that far?!"

The white-haired man snorted. "I'm not called Archer just for show."

As they began to move in the direction he pointed out Archer's keen hearing caught on a hushed conversation between Gran and Lyria. "Gran... Something's wrong... We traveled all this way, but I can't sense any change in Leviathan."

His expression didn't change, but inwardly his mind was at work. _'Now, why would she talk about Auguste's most famous Primal Beast, revered as a god even, as if she had met it?'_

"What do you mean?" Gran asked.

"It's almost as if Leviathan is enveloping all of Auguste..."

 _'Considering its namesake fom my world, either it's big enough to occupy the whole sea - though if it was someone would have seen it by now - or the whole island is its territory. The last one is more likely, but that begs the question: who is Lyria, to be able to sense Primal Beasts?'_

There were a lot of mysteries surrounding this specific crew, Archer realized. Normally, it would be none of his business.

Yet, wasn't it just recently that he thought there was more he could do beside helping around Auguste?

* * *

"Well, well, well. It seems the little miss was telling the truth after all." Eugen commented while observing the distant column of men marching through the plateau. They crossed the forest while dispatching the local monsters, and arrived at the top of a slope just in time to catch the troops' sight.

"Those banners... Only soldiers of the Empire would fly them." Katalina muttered.

"What do we have here?" Rackam squinted his eyes before gasping. "Woah! Looks like we're got some tough customers on our hands."

Archer could see two figures of interest among the more generic Erste soldiers: the first was a bespectacled blond Harvin with the insignia of a general and, though mostly irrelevant, unnecessarily high heels. The only thing of note, beside his rank, were the vials full of colored liquids on his belt. He should be wary of them if it came down to a fight.

The second figure was definitely more interesting: a knight garbed head to toes in pitch black armor with golden linings, of a quality high enough that it could resist even a blow from a low-ranked Noble Phantasm, and on its-

 _Blutgang._

 _Fathomless loyalty calls out to darkness, and its adamant vow bites deep. All alone, the knight protects her, almost possessed with tenacity. She swings her sword for Her Highness, and only for her._

- _her_ waist, was a sword he pleasantly welcomed inside his archive. He never had the chance to acquire the Blutgang from Earth, due to the sword breaking against the helmet Hildegrimur in the myth, but this one was an adequate replacement.

Its history also confirmed to him that there were people in this world with skills and abilities comparable to Servants. That black knight would make for a great Saber, or a decent Berserker.

"Hey, guys." Rackam motioned to the rest of his crew. "Look over there."

"Ah? Gran, isn't that the Black Knight whom we saw back in Valtz?" Lyria exclaimed.

"Yes." He nodded. "It's him."

Another female knight mistaken for male? Oh, the irony.

"What are you mumbling about?" Eugen asked. "Talk so people can hear you! Yer not gonna leave an old man in the dark, are you?"

"Would you cut it out?" Io pouted. "We're run into one of the soldiers over there before. We met the Black Knight in Valtz..."

"A Black Knight...with the empire?" Eugen looked shocked at the news. Then he grimaced and ran down the slope, moving towards the head of the column.

"Woah! Hold on, Eugen! Stay with the group!" Rackam shouted after him.

Archer ignored the helmsman's advice and followed after Eugen, easily catching up with him. "I assume there is a good reason for this?" He asked him with a calm, unperturbed tone.

"Sorry Archer. I can't explain it now, but..." Eugen's grimace deepened. "That Black Knight and I, we have a history."

"None of my business then. Understood." Archer simply nodded. "I will simply save your ass if you end up doing something foolish."

"Eh! I believe I may end taking up on your offer sooner than expected." Eugen grinned.

"Halt!" A soldier commanded. "This area is under the control of the Erste Empire! Civilians are-" It was as far as he went before Eugen's shot took him down.

Projecting Kanshou and Bakuya Archer blurred forward and swept through the other soldiers, until it was him, Eugen and the two imperial officers in the middle of a ring of downed opponents.

"Yo. Fancy meeting you here." Eugen flippantly greeted the Black Knight while resting the rifle on his shoulder. "You seem to be doing quite well for yourself."

"You!" The knight spat, her voice deep enough that Archer could see how she could be mistaken for a man. "Hard to believe you're still alive, you miserable old man. Those islands are as unpleasant as ever, filled with faces I hoped to never see again..." For a moment Archer could feel her gaze boring into him, though it was mostly wariness at an unknown.

"Oh, come on! Don't be like that. Think of everything we've been through..."

"Yayaya! Mh? What is the meaning of this, Apollonia?" The Harvin asked, his voice obnoxious and condescending. "And who is this raggedy old man?"

"Mind your place, Furias! This is the second time I need to warn you." The Black Knight spat. "If you blurt out that name again, you'll be breathing through your neck."

Furias seemed hardly fazed by the death threat. "Simply terrifying... Why not try to have a little fun for a change? Even if you _are_ an imperial advisor..."

"You tactless vermin... I'll be sure to mention your attitude when I report how you allowed the enemy to reach us unimpeded."

"Eugen! Archer! You okay?" Rackam asked as he and the others finally reached them.

"C'mon, why did you have to leave us behind?" Io complained.

"You!" Katalina's eyes widened at the sight of Furias. "You were in Port Breeze!"

"What have we here? You're still alive?" Furias laughed. "I suppose it's always a challenge to exterminate such tiny little insects..."

"Boss, who is this guy?" A frowning Yuises asked Gran. "He's giving me a bad feeling..."

"That guy... He experimented on Tiamat, the Primal Beast of Port Breeze, and even tried to use her to destroy the whole island."

Archer's assessment of the Harvin went from 'annoyance' to 'warmonger with too much power'.

"What are you lot doing in Auguste?" The Black Knight tilted her head. "Oh, I know... The Archduke must be behind this. Furias! I'll leave this to you... I trust you understand what you need to do."

"Ever the worrier... But I know I'm not supposed to kill them. Leave it to me!" His smile was downright nasty. "There're nothing I love more than playing with my prey! Funny thing though... Your names seem to have slipped my mind."

"Sorry, but I don't share my name with imperial scum." Rackam snidely remarked.

Furias' smile instantly changed into a sneer. "Zip it, scruffy. No one asked you!"

"What's wrong with this guy?" Io sweadropped. "He's the one who brought up our names in the first place..."

"Gran, I knew there was something off about him." Lyria whispered, her hands clenching around the hem of her dress. "The power I feel, it almost reminds me of a Primal's..."

"Blah, blah, blah... Don't flatter yourself by thinking I cared about your names in the first place!" Archer added 'unstable' to his assessment of Furias. "Just be good little snacks! C'mere, _Poochie!_ "

At the call something large began to move forward from the back of the column, the soldiers hastily moving out of the way. When it came into view the group could see it was a massive, bipedal saurian monster, with skin covered in orange crystals and a maw that opened all the way to the bottom of its long neck.

" _That's_ Poochie?!" Io screamed in disbelief.

"Of all the low down, dirty... Everyone, keep your guard up!" Vyrn shouted.

The monster raised its narrow head and roared to the heavens.

Kanshou and Bakuya spin through the air and embedded themselves into the monster's neck. The beast's body convulsed before falling on the ground, where it died slowly choking on its own blood.

"What?" Archer answered when everyone stared at him in shock. "It was the perfect opening. I just took it."

"Poochie...?" Furias whispered before snarling in rage. "Useless beast! Gah! Forget about it! Kill them! Kill them all!"

While the Erste soldiers surged forward to engage the group of Skyfarers the Black Knight, instead of calling out to Furias on his breaking of orders, pushed by idle curiosity approached the monster's body. Grabbing the hilts of the two falchions she yanked them out. She observed them for a moment, marveling at both the beautiful craftsmanship and the apparent ease with which they pierced the monster's hide, before blinking in shock when they dissolved into motes of light. "What?"

"Did they not teach you to ask for permission before touching what belong to someone else?" Whirling about she came face to face with a grinning Archer, the twin blades back into his hands.

"You..." Her hand rested on the hilt of Blutgang, but didn't move to take it out. "You're different from the rest of the rabble. Who are you?"

He shrugged. "Just a nameless archer." He glanced behind his shoulders. "I think I should say something now... Nah, don't feel like it. Goodbye, _Apollonia Vaar._ "

By the time Apollonia took out her sword to attack him he was already gone, his twin swords a blur as he cut a path back to the rest of the crew. "That miserable old man... Of course the company he keeps around would be just as irritating." She snarled, the sword sliding back into the sheath with a 'click'.

* * *

Kanshou cleaved first through the descending sword _-steel, mass produced, reliable but unremarkable-_ and then the soldier's shoulder. The man hissed at the feeling of metal biting into his flesh before the falchion's pommel crushed part of his helmet, incapacitating him, and immediately moved forward to parry a spear's thrust, Bakuya coming up to cut through the wooden shaft. Archer took two steps forward before kicking the spearman in the stomach, the force pushing him into the men behind and bowling them over. It gave him the opportunity to spin around and jump above the hail of fireballs coming his way: he tossed both falchions while in midair, the twin blades spinning around each other as they slashed through both the attacking mages. Archer ran at them, his fists punching their heads and knocking them out. He hadn't the chance to test if he still had his Magic Resistance and if it worked against the magic of this world, but a battlefield wasn't the right place to do that.

"Aaah!" Gran shouted at the top of his lungs, raising his sword high before slashing down with all his strength. The heavy blow made the imperial soldier reel back: his partner tried to swing at the still recovering Gran, but his blade was blocked by Yuisis' shield, followed by the Erune's sword slashing through his breastplate.

"Guh! You damn traitor!" The armored man shouted, stepping back with one hand over his bleeding side.

"You may call me a traitor as much as you like." Katalina stated with a hard tone before drawing a circle with the tip of her rapier, large blades made of ice forming around the path. "However, you will not harm those I swore to protect! **Blades of Frost!"** The blades flied and stabbed through the enemy ranks, sending them into disarray.

"There are too many enemies!" Rackam was shooting everywhere without making economy of bullets, a gun in both hands. "For my tastes! Io!"

"On it!" The young mage gathered magic at the bottom of her staff before driving it into the ground. **"Freeze!"** Ice spikes formed around the crew, driving back the attackers and forming a wall. "Now! Let's get out of here!"

"You don't have to tell me twice!" They all began to retreat towards the forest while the Erste soldiers were still busy going through the ice wall.

"Ah!" A Draph with an enormous mace crushed the ice wall and stepped through. "This cannot stop me!"

 **"Die Antikenkanone!"** Eugen's supercharged shot exploded right in the center of the Draph's chest, sending him flying away. "But this one apparently can!" He shouted before turning around and escaping, laughing all the while.

"By the stars! Eugen, what kind of rounds do you use?!" Rackam asked while they darted through the trees.

"Oh, you know how it is." He rolled his shoulder. "A little bit of this, a little bit of that..."

"And a special order to the Knickknack Shack. They use those rounds to fend off wild Primal Beasts in another island." Archer added drily.

"What he said. This reminds me, I've almost finished them..."

Archer resisted the urge to snort. He traced one bullet and tossed it to Eugen, who caught and put it into his pocket. "One now. The rest when I don't need to conserve magical energy in case of an emergency."

"Gahaha! Gotcha!" The one-eyed man grinned.

"He's running you ragged, uh?" Rackam muttered with a sympathetic look. Archer rolled his eyes.

* * *

"Sorry about that." Eugen began after they found a good hiding spot. "I'm way too old to be this hotheaded."

"Don't worry about it. What I'm wondering is..." Katalina began. "Do you share some connection with the Black Knight?"

"You sure looked like you knew each other." Io commented. "Did you do something with the Empire too?"

Rackam still looked a bit miffed by the whole episode. "Well, Eugen?"

"...Sorry. I have a lot of things I'm just not ready to talk about." He replied with a sad look before switching to curious. "I'm more interested in hearing what you and yer group have to do with the Black Knight, Gran."

The brown-haired boy looked at the rest of his crew. After some sort of silent conversation he began to explain. "It all started on my home island, Zinkenstill..."

Archer's eyebrows progressively rose with each new revelation, from the girl, Lyria, being able to summon and command Primal Beasts despite, supposedly, being not an Astral herself to the people in front of him fighting head-on _two_ Primal Beasts and living to tell the tale.

It explained a lot of things. Rather, it explained almost everything: from why the Empire was after Lyria to how they developed a technology to control minor primal beasts, the so-called high-ranked monsters.

"I see. The Empire wanted to exploit Lyria's power, so they captured her..." Eugen summarized at the end.

"H-Heh..." Under Eugen's gaze Lyria smiled in embarrassment.

"No need to be scared now. I'm not going to bite." The old agent reassured her.

"Yeesh... You could try looking a little more surprised, old man." Rackam said while he lit a new cigarette.

"I've lived far too long to waste time with that nonsense, thank you very much." He laughed. "A little girl with a big appetite's nothing I haven't seen before."

"She can absorb the power of primal crystals, and you're passing it off as a big appetite?" Katalina muttered with an awkward tone. "I don't know what to say..."

"Try: 'let's call it with its proper name, controlling weapons of mass destruction'." Archer's harsh words, delivered with a casual tone, cut through the mood like one of his blades. "Because that's what it is in the end. Maybe the Primal Beasts you met only wanted to keep sleeping and didn't want to fight, and that's a good thing, but it's also true they didn't have a choice when forced to do so. Don't forget that it was thanks to them that the Astrals once ruled the entire sky. And now, not only is there someone else with the power do so but the Empire managed to partially replicate said power."

With every word Lyria seemed to curl in on herself, guilt and fear welling up inside her.

"That's enough!" Katalina exploded, scowling fiercely at Archer while standing protectively in front of Lyria.

Gran was doing the same by her side. "It isn't Lyria's fault!"

The white-haired man just scoffed. "I never said it was. I'm just stating facts. You saw first-hand the lengths Erste is willing to go to retrieve Lyria, and it's probable they will only escalate from now on. And even it if stops...how long before someone else tries to do the same?" He turned around and crossed his arms behind his back. "Power begets power. It is never a sin to just possess the potential for something, only how you use it, but those with it have a duty to consider the effects their actions, or merely their existence, have on the whole world."

Then he spoke the words he prepared the terrain for. " _If you think running to the end of the sky will solve all of your problems, you're up for a rude awakening._ "

He said so not out of malice, or a desire to belittle their resolution. But to the person known as Archer, there was nothing he disliked more than 'Immaturity'.

"Then I'll stop them." Gran's voice came clean and strong, with no a single trace of hesitation in it.

Archer didn't turn around. "How?"

"I'll talk with them, and bargain if they're reasonable. If they're not I'll avoid them, and if they insist I'll beat them until they desist."

"Even if you were to fight against the entire world?"

"...Even then, I'll fight. I won't just abandon Lyria, I'll keep helping her until I'm satisfied."

Those words...did he hear them before?

No, they weren't the same. But they might as well be.

He slowly turned around until he stared back into Gran's eyes. The brown-haired boy was standing up straight, his entire body containing nothing but unwavering resolve.

"What do you even intend to do once you reach the end of the sky anyway? Estalucia is a just a myth at worst, the ruins of an once great civilization at best."

"My father is there." Gran smiled. "He has found Estalucia, and now he's waiting for me there. To become a Skyfarer and journey to the end of the sky, just like my father, is my dream!"

 _"Let me take on your dream. I'll make it come true."_

Hasn't he decided to leave everything behind? To think he would get nostalgic- "I really have the worst luck."

"Er...What?" Gran asked in confusion, caught by surprise by the dry, sardonic smile that had replaced the older man's carefully neutral look.

"Just an old memory. Gran, was it? You and your friends are really more trouble than I thought." He looked in the direction where they met the Imperial troops. "Speaking of troubles, what do we do with what we discovered today?"

"There are too many of them for us to deal with. We need to inform Auguste's main army, not buts about it." Eugen spoke.

"Right. I'm going ahead since I'm faster. Try to stay out of sight until reinforcements arrive."

"Wait, Arc-" Before Eugen could finish Archer was already far away, the distance increasing enormously with every passing second. "...He's doing this on purpose, isn't it?"

"Such speed! He, he is truly..." Katalina muttered in amazement.

"What... What in the sky was that for?!" Io (figuratively) exploded. "Saying all that, and then running away without even explaining!"

"He was trying to help us." Lyria suddenly said.

Io looked in confusion at the blue-haired girl. "Eh? Haven't you heard the things he said?"

"They were true, weren't they?" Despite looking still distraught, most of Lyria's expression was dominated by a small smile brought by Gran's words. "Just ignoring a problem wouldn't make it go away. If we do, we may regret it. I...I can't explain why, but I can feel it: Mister Archer, deep down, is truly a good person."

* * *

From his vantage point the red bowman surveyed the whole Tzannis Plateau and the two armies gathering there. After alerting the Auguste military of Erste's presence on the Plateau he didn't return to Eugen and the others, but sought out an ideal place to perform the specialty of his Class: long-distance sniping.

Granted, the requirements to be an Archer in the Moon Cell's Holy Grail War were somewhat loose and he himself was not a very good example, but there were few Heroic Spirits that were as good as him with a bow.

A quick search revealed Eugen and the others were behind the allied lines, busy...eating? Well, it was wise to recover spent energy before its lack could be a hindrance. They were safe, and that was one less problem to worry about.

Now, it was time to make sure this battle would be over with the least amount possible of causalities.

Normal arrows, their tips stabbed into the earth, began to appear all around him, ready to be picked up and shot at any given time. While swords caused more damage, it was a style too distinctive: in this case, it was better for the enemy to believe he was just one of the normal archers serving the Auguste Army. Picking up one arrow he held it up to his bow and drew back the bowstring.

With his enhanted eyesight he swept through the Erste troops until he found a captain giving out orders. A small application of Alteration changed the arrowhead to a squared metal spike, ideal to pierce armor, and another of Reinforcement increased the 'piercing' attribute.

He let go of the bowstring.

The arrow covered two kilometers in a few seconds before stabbing through the helmet and into the captain's temple, killing him instantly. Archer waited a little to see if someone among those present had enough authority to calm the panicking soldiers: seeing none he searched for another target, his hands already pulling back a new arrow.

It was a job without glory. It was perfect for him, who never sought glory nor recognition: he left those to the soldiers fighting on the frontlines, who were performing quite admirably even. Erste had the technological advantage, but terrain knowledge and the desire to protect your own home were powerful compensating forces.

The battle had been going for a while when Archer noticed Eugen's group retreating even further away from the battlefield. Were they having troubles with monsters again? ...Yes, he could see a weak pack coming ahead of them, but also a group of imperial soldiers following from behind: it didn't take a genius to guess their objective.

"Seriously." He scoffed, stabbing back into the ground the arrow he was previously going to shoot and aiming his bow in another direction. In his now free hand a new type of arrow appeared, one of several Mystic Codes he had made by an expert for when he needed a special effect without having to Trace a Noble Phantasm. He aimed at the back of the imperial group and shot: upon hitting its target the arrow exploded, releasing a paralyzing chemical that leave those affected unable to move for a few hours. Some of their comrades will be forced to stay behind to bring them to safety, thus further reducing the pressure on Eugen and the others.

Or so he thought, until he spot many other groups of imperial soldiers converging in the crew's direction. And they even had tamed monsters with them.

"Is Erste really prioritizing capturing Lyria above winning the battle?" He wondered aloud before chuckling. "Well then, thanks for making things easier for me then."

After all, protecting a single person is easier than protecting the many.

* * *

"Hm? What do we have here?" Furias laughed after he and his soldiers surrounded Gran and the others. "Are you trapped? You are, aren't you? Someone do something interesting before I die of boredom!"

Eugen narrowed his eyes. "If yer feeling bored, why don't you take us on yourself?"

"Staining my hands? Gross." The blond Harvin made a disgusted face. "Beside, this place is already finished."

"What do you mean...finished?" Lyria asked, a feeling of dread slowly creeping up her back.

"You'll see soon enough! You ruined our research lab! Oh yes, you did!" Furias sneered. "But too bad: the weapon that was developed there...is already finished. And it's on my beautiful battleship."

"Say what?"

"Oh, I would just looove the chance to show it to you... Even if it would be a waste to use it on cornered rats." Furias' grin was positively sadistic. "It's not like you can escape. Mh? Now that I think about it, aren't you guys down a member? What, did they run away after seeing how hopeless you are?" He laughed again.

"Damn, I don't want to agree with him but he's not wrong." Rackam frowned. "Oi, Eugen. Where's Archer? We can use a helping hand here!"

"Yer a fool." Eugen declared, no one knowing if those words were directed to Rackam, Furias or both. The old agent's tone was even, and his posture relaxed.

"...What was that?" Furias demanded.

"That guy likes to downplay his own accomplishments, but I fought by his side for months and I know how dependable he can be." Eugen grinned. "Archer. His name isn't just for show, you know?"

"The hell does that even mean, you old fool?!" Furias spat.

The Black Knight, who was just observing the events, suddenly looked up. Her eyes widened under the helmet.

"It means-" Eugen slowly raised a hand before suddenly thrusting a finger to the heavens. "Watch the sky."

"TAKE COVER!" The Black Knight screamed, unsheathing her sword with one hand and grabbing onto Furias with the other.

To those watching in the right direction a large area of the sky above was suddenly littered with red dots, before they closed in to reveal a shower of arrows travelling at breakneck speed. The projectiles rained on the imperial troops in a restless onslaught, armors and shields offering only temporary protection before being overwhelmed. The only one left unscathed was the Black Knight, whose sword was a blur as it deflected all arrows directed her way, and Furias, who screamed in outrage as he was tossed back and forth in the knight's grip.

"Is...Is this Mister Archer's doing?" Gran exclaimed in awe.

"'Course it is." Eugen dropped his hand, a large grin on his lips.

"Where is he firing from?" Rackam looked around. "I can't spot him."

"Eh, probably one or two kilometers in...whatever direction I suppose."

"One or two kilometers-! Most bows only have a range of four, five hundred meters at most!" Katalina declared in shock.

"I take back all the bad things I thought about him." Vyrn gulped. "I truly do."

When the rain of arrows stopped Furias was still screaming. "ADVERSA! SOMEONE ACTIVATE ADVERSA! ERASE THIS UNSIGHTLY ISLAND!" Already regretting helping the vile midget the Black Knight unceremoniously dropped him. Furias landed face first in the sand before immediately pushing himself up. "Didn't you hear me?!" He spit out the sand that entered his mouth. "Why aren't you moving?"

"No...This can't be happening..." Lyria muttered, the feeling of dread having not subsided at all in the meantime. And now she knew the cause.

"No need to feel sorry for those punks." Yuisis reassured her. "Whatever this weapon of their is, I'm sure it's nothing to-"

"No! I mean the Imperials!" The blue haired girl interrupted her. "They're being swallowed up!"

"Sir!" A soldier came running from where the battle between Auguste and Erste was still being fought. He paused for a moment at the sight of his comrades being utterly defeated before his sense of duty spurred him on. "General Furias! I have orders from-!"

He barely managed to dodge the gunshot. "Are you deaf?!" Furias loaded another bullet. "I said ACTIVATE ADVERSA!"

"B-But Sir!" The soldier tried to reason with the deranged Harvin. "We've been given the order to retreat! More than half the airships we're anchored have been swallowed up by the sea!"

"What is the meaning of this?" Furias blanched. "Dammnit! My beautiful battleship!" Without even waiting for the others he began to ran away.

"I'm not sure what's going on, but we're got a chance now!" Rackam suggested.

"Agreed." Katalina nodded. "Gran, let's take advantage of the confusion to escape!"

The Black Knight made no move to stop them. "It's time." She muttered before turning around and leaving.

* * *

Archer didn't lower his bow even after confirming Eugen and the others were safe. He too saw the imperial airships being swallowed by the sea, and it was setting off all of his alarm senses.

It was in that moment that an overwhelming magical scent hit his nose. It brought to mind the sea, the murky depths and an all-consuming feeling...

...of _hunger_.

Somewhere between the Tzannis Plateau and Mizarea a large portion of the sea rose up in a gargantuan water column that seemed to brush against the sky canopy. When the water collapsed it revealed what was concealed within.

A long, sinuous body that even while partially submerged was already as tall as a mountain. Blue scales, with shades of red and purple, created a natural armor that no normal weapon could even hope to scratch. Four great wing-like fins flapped in a frenzy, the air movement alone creating powerful gusts of wind and high waves. Its maw was large enough to swallow whole buildings, while a ring of water spun fast around it.

That wasn't a Phantasmal Beast. That was a **Divine Beast**.

"Leviathan..." Archer muttered in awe and disbelief, suddenly glad he has been born in a time when such creatures had withdrawn from the world. It was a different feeling than facing Saver: while the first spoke of a sense of inevitability, of defiance being futile, Leviathan's aura was simply so powerful you couldn't help but compare it to a natural disaster, something that could only be endured and, with enough luck, survived.

Any hope the Primal Beast was there to help was squashed when Leviathan roared angrily, followed by the smaller islands and beaches around it being swallowed by the sea. When swarms of monsters began to gather around the great serpent Archer swore under his breath. "Damn it Eugen! I know you always say Leviathan protects Auguste...but right now, that thing is a danger to everyone!"

All the arrows he projected beforehand disappeared. They were useless anyway. Holding no certainty but the need to do _something_ Archer opened all of his Magic Circuits. _"Trace, on!"_

A sword formed in his right hand. It was a pitch-black weapon, with a few small edges coiling around the thin core, spiraling around it and somewhat curving outward. Glowing red lines of magical energy began to cover its surface, changing its form to a more aerodynamic one while simultaneously overloading it to the breaking point. Notching the now arrow-like sword he pulled back the bowstring while taking aim at Leviathan's head, tracing a path to avoid the monsters around it.

 _"Fly, Hound of the Red Plains!"_ He intoned before releasing the arrow. _"Hrunting!"_

The Broken Phantasm shot out like a lightning bolt, tearing through the air while being barely held together by the will and magic of its owner. With a single target in mind the sword sought out the most direct path to it, moving around anything else with sharp turns than not even a bird could pull out.

Leviathan turned around to face the sudden disturbance, only to reel back in pain and shock when a large explosion went off right into its face. Scales were torn off and skin seared by the heat, while the monsters too close to the radius were instantly vaporized.

The white-haired bowman was already projecting another copy of Hrunting. "It's hurt. It can be hurt. _And if it can be hurt, it can be killed._ "

The Primal Beast of Auguste glared in the direction the attack had came from, part of its face still smoking. It fully opened its gigantic maw, water and magical energy gathering in front of it. Realizing the creature was preparing an attack Archer moved away from the cliff he was standing on. A few instants later Leviathan shot a blue beam that traveled at the same speed of Hrunting and cleaved the cliff into two perfect halves. Along with the rest of the landscape around it.

"A water jet cutter. It can use a water jet cutter." Even if by size alone it was more akin to a waterfall, but when you have the power to use that much water to cut instead of crushing then the rest was just semantics.

The presence of a long-range attack that could reach him complicated things. Normally he would be able to use the great distance to keep shooting copies of Hrunting with impunity, adding more magical energy to each new shot to increase its power and, eventually, overwhelm the beast's defense. But with Leviathan capable of hitting back, he didn't have the time to increase the Broken Phantasm's power beyond the minimum necessary. The more he charged the power the less time he had to dodge, and not dodging when necessary would quickly lead to his death.

Rolling at the foot of the ex-hill he stood on a half-kneeling position, took aim and shot. Leviathan, in a display of agility impressive for its size, jerked its long body to the side to get out of the projectile's path.

Unfortunately for the serpent and all of Beowulf's opponents until it failed to penetrate the supernatural hide of Grendel's Mother, Hrunting doesn't miss. Ever.

Leviathan roared when the sword-turned-arrow exploded once again in its face and in the exact same point, further increasing the damage. As droplets of dark-blue blood stained its scales the Primal Beast growled in anger before roaring again. The swarm of monsters began to fly towards Archer's position with the serpent following almost immediately, another water jet cutter charging within his maw.

Archer had a split second to decide - left or right - before sprinting left, towards Mizarea. While it sounded beyond foolish to put the city and its inhabitants in danger, there was a fork in the road that would allow Archer to lead Leviathan and the monsters away from it. While the right road, towards Tzannis Plateau, would have forced him to pass close to where everyone else was still fighting. In essence, it was a tactic to keep the casualties to a minimum in exchange for...probably a lot of property damage. Yes, Archer had the inkling the local maps would need to be redrawn after the crisis was over.

"But first, I need to do something about you." After he outpaced another of Leviathan's jet cutter Archer kept running, a third Hrunting forming in his hands. At the same time he Traced a few nameless E-ranked Noble Phantasms around him, Broke them to push their rank to its original value and shot them at the incoming monsters. The projectiles all hit the head of the swarm in different points, the following explosions creating a blanket that stopped the rest in their tracks and hid him from sight. It was torn apart by Leviathan a second later, but the white haired man was already gone by then.

The third shot was followed by Leviathan shooting its jet cutter in a sweep rather than a downward swing. Seeing the searing wall of water coming his way Archer quickly deduced the course of action with the highest chance of success. He dropped in a baseball slide and, keeping his body down as much as possible, projected his favorite defensive armament. _"Rho Aias!"_

The first layer of Ajax the Great's shield barely held together when Leviathan's jet cutter passed a scant meter above it, the displaced air, sand and water droplets moving at immense speed leaving behind a devastated, barren landscape.

Jumping back on his feet Archer discarded the fading Noble Phantasm and resumed running. "It's learning. The time at my disposal has been reduced by at least a third." More low-ranked Noble Phantasms were traced and shot at the approaching monsters. "Well, story of my life really."

* * *

Eugen, Gran and the rest of the crew watched as Leviathan kept moving farther and farther away. They tried to hurry after it, but they were already out of breath and the Primal Beast still nowhere close.

"I give up!" Io fell down on her knees with a wail. "I can't walk anymore!"

"I hate to admit it, but none of us is in the condition to continue." Katalina frowned, sweat running down her face.

"Shit! I'm sorry Eugen." Rackam clenched his fists. "We told you we'll stop Leviathan, and yet-!"

"Strange." While worried, the one-eyed man was also confused. "He's not exactly going towards Mizarea. He's...steering to the left. I'm sure of it. Whatever Leviathan is fighting, it's baiting him away from the city."

"Is it...another Primal Beast?" Gran looked at the blue-haired girl. "Lyria?"

She cupped her palms together, deep in concentration as she used her power to sense Primal Beasts. "...No, I can feel only Leviathan. But..." She looked at the distant sea serpent, who was made to reel back by a red flash once again. "Even if it's not a Primal Beast, for a brief moment I can sense a great power within each one of those red flashes."

Far away, on the observation deck of an airship, the Black Knight was observing the actions of Leviathan. Next to her, a girl in a black dress with light-blue hair tied up in twin-tails looked out of the window with a blank expression while hugging a stuffed cat.

"I expected that crew to fight and calm Leviathan, but that Primal Beast is stronger than I expected." She tapped a finger on the hilt of her sword. "But then, what is it fighting? Doll, what do you sense?"

The girl leaned close, as if listening to something only she could hear. After several seconds of silence she spoke with a quiet voice. "...Something...powerful..."

"Another Primal Beast?"

She shook her head. "...I don't know."

Back in Mizarea, people were watching in apprehension the battle between the titan and its unknown opponent.

"I'm scared..." One kid whimpered before feeling a small hand gently rubbing his head. Turning around he came face-to-face with a smiling Zahlhamelina. "Big Sister?"

"Shhh. It's alright, everything's going to be alright." The Harvin said with a soothing voice. However, once the kid calmed down she looked at the distant Primal Beast with a frown. "I thought Leviathan was supposed to bring the blessing of healing to Auguste's ocean. But if he keeps raging like that..."

"Yeah. This is shaping up to be a real mess." A tall, busty woman dressed like a pirate approached from Zahlhamelina's side. "And yet, someone is clearly already out there, fighting that big snake."

The Harvin tilted her head. "Uhm, you are...?"

"Name's Sig. Just a passing pirate." She said that as if it was perfectly normal. "Yer want to go out there and do the same, I'm right? It's written all over yer face. Want to join me and my men? Against that, we can use all the helping hands."

"...Normally I would say it's too dangerous, but-" The rest of her words was drowned out by Leviathan's roar.

Everyone watching witnessed as the ring around the Primal Beast's head began to spin even faster, the water creating a spinning aura of reflecting water around its body. The next time a red bolt was fired it stopped at the edge of the barrier, hovering there for an instant before bouncing back in the opposite direction.

* * *

With a grunt Archer dispelled Hrunting after the third failed attempt to pierce the Primal Beast's barrier. "A ward strong enough to not only block a B-ranked Broken Phantasm, but also reflect it back at its sender? A nice trump card to have."

The sea serpent reared back its head, the smell of the sea sharply increasing in intensity. The monsters divided into two waves to keep the area in front of their master empty, while behind the beast an immense wall of water was quickly rising up and gaining speed.

He grimaced. "Correction: I guess Leviathan has decided to stop playing around." He looked around, first at Mizarea and then in the direction he came from. "...No escape routes left. But I guess this place is good enough. Either it works, or I'm dead. Hell, I'm probably dead even if it works." He snorted. "Yes, this is truly the story of my life."

Raising his bow in his left hand he held up the right one, palm facing upward. "...I'm not sure my usual one is going to be enough. I need _that_ version...ugh, it's a good thing nobody's here to see me embarrassing myself."

Archer allowed himself a small grimace before schooling his features and closing his eyes. _"I am the bone of my sword."_

Glowing lines appeared on his right arm. Above his palm something as tall as him began to take form.

 _"Steel is my body, and fire is my blood."_

First was a sword hilt as long as his own arm, followed by a circular guard covered in spikes.

 _"I have created over a thousand blades."_

The blade, if it could even be called that, coiled into a giant, wicked-looking spiral. By the time he was done, what Archer was holding resembled more a jousting lance than a sword.

As he nocked it and began to pull back the bowstring cracks from which shined a rainbow-colored light began to appear on the weapon's surface, its form compressing and elongating into a more aerodynamic one.

The wave created by Leviathan was now half as tall as the Primal Beast, the immense mass of water harmlessly passing around it to continue its path. The monsters, heedless of the danger behind them, kept flying towards their prey.

Archer opened both eyes, raising his bow and fixing his aim by using not his eyes, but his trusted sense of smell. The projectile in his hands was less a weapon and more a jigsaw puzzle around a luminous core of pure power.

 _"Overflow, rainbow. Beyond the spiral's horizon! Ultimate Rainbow Sword!"  
_

* * *

Lyria's eyes shot wide open. "What-"

"...is that?" Behind her helmet the Black Knight gaped at the black-dressed girl's shocked expression, showing more emotions in that moment that she ever did in the last ten years.

* * *

The shadow cast by the wave covered the land. Yet, even in the darkness a light refused to perish.

 ** _"CALEDFWLCH CALADBOLG!"_**

* * *

For those watching from afar, it was as if the sky itself was split apart by a soaring shooting star that left behind a trail of rainbow.

The immense wave was about to crash down on the land when a brilliant bolt of light pierced through it, space itself distorting at its passage. The swarm of monsters were annihilated as a simple aftereffect of it passing in an area far away from them. Behind it left a majestic rainbow, its rays falling down like a great tapestry.

The bolt of light tore through Leviathan's barrier like it wasn't even there before reaching its head.

The next instant a titanic explosion of rainbow light swallowed the top of Auguste's Primal Beast, its mind marveling at the power of an intensity it hasn't witnessed since The War before its body was torn apart into subatomic particles along with space itself.

Such was the power of a A+ ranked Anti-Army Broken Phantasm. Such was the power of the sword said to be the prototype of all magical swords in history, including Excalibur.

* * *

It was a thoroughly soaked and tired Archer that dragged himself through the streets of Mizarea, where the citizens have gathered en-masse to celebrate both the end of the war with Erste and the cessation of Leviathan's rampage. But even if the sight of all those smiling people filled him with happiness he really wasn't in the right mood, or shape, to join them: firing Caladbolg have prevented him from being directly crushed by the water above him, but when the rest landed he'd found himself at the bottom of a new lake. Swimming to the surface and going back to Mizarea has exhausted the rest of his already dwindling forces.

"Sir Archer?" The figure of Zahlhamelina materialized before him, a concerned look on her face. "Are you alright?"

He thought about it. "...I could use some assistance." He finally admitted before falling on his face and fainting.

* * *

"Yo." Eugen's grinning face was the first thing Archer saw upon his awakening. "Welcome back to the land of the living, sleeping beauty."

The white-haired man pushed himself up with a grimace, idling registering he was inside the infirmary. "Please don't tell me you're peeling me an apple."

The old agent laughed heartly. "Sorry! You'll have to console yourself with ale!" He put a mug filled to the brink on the table next to the bed before taking a second one and chugging it down.

"...Maybe when my head hurts less." He had used too much prana to power up Caledfwlch Caladbolg and the rest of his Projections, but it was worth it. "What did I miss?"

Eugen's mood turned a little somber. "...I'm joining the kid's, Gran's crew."

Archer watched his hands, opening and closing them. "I'm not taking your place."

"Idiot!" He snickered. "There's no need for a militia now that the war with Erste has ended." He looked to the side. "Looking at those youngsters, choosing to stand and fight instead of running away... Well, they made me decide to not run from my past anymore. That's all."

"This include the Black Knight of Erste, I assume?"

"Yes..." Eugen suddenly gasped. "That's right! Did you see that... _thing_ that defeated Leviatan? That Rainbow Star?"

Archer rolled his eyes. "Hard not to. I was a bit busy not drowning, though." He said, choosing his words to imply he didn't know much beyond that.

"Caught you in a bad spot, uh?" He leaned back on his chair and took another sip of ale. "There are all sorts of crazy theories being thrown around, even that the Astrals have returned. Oh, we found out the reason behind Leviatan's rampage: until now he kept purifying the oceans, but the damage caused by the pollution was too much. He compensated by eating everything available, but the sudden increase of power sent him into a frenzy. When we finally reached him the little miss, Lyria absorbed his excess power. That calmed him. But..."

Archer turned to face Eugen and raised an eyebrow, mentally filing what he just learned about the blue-haired girl away. "But?"

"The Black Knight. She was there with someone else, a girl. Somehow that girl did the same as Lyria and absorbed part of Leviathan's power."

 _'Someone with the same ability? A second individual with the same origins or disposition...unlikely. An advanced state of the Empire's research on controlling Primal Beasts? Maybe a clone of Lyria, or just someone who was injected with her DNA?'_ Were some of Archer's thoughts in response to the news.

"They left without revealing a thing, but she said, if we want to know, to go to the Lumacie Archipelago. It's a long journey till there, so...yeah, I don't think I'll come back here for a while." Eugen smiled. "That's all about me. And you? What will you do now?"

"..." Silently Archer turned around to stare out of the window and at the full moon glowing brightly in the night sky. "Give me some time to think about it."

* * *

Two days later, having fully recovered, Archer finished collecting the few things in his possess within a sack and swung it over his shoulders. Stopping at the door frame he gave one last look at his room, the first place where he first woke up in Phantagrande, before quietly closing the door and leaving the key within the keyhole.

Once outside the mansion he began to walk through the streets of Mizarea with a leisurely pace, and after a while he arrived at the docks.

"So this is the Grandcypher." Archer commented as he looked up at the docked airship. "By dimensions alone it's comparable to a galleon...Eh, that woman would fit right in this world."

"Sir Archer? Is that you?" Zahlhamelina came down from the deck of the ship. "What a coincidence."

"Truly." He gave her a formal bow. "I haven't thanked you yet for helping me a few days ago. You have my gratitude."

"Oh, you're welcome." She smiled. "But I haven't done much. Your wounds were minor, and to bring you to Sir Eugen's above I had to enlist the help of a few kind passersby."

Considering the difference in height and body mass, it was understandable.

"May I ask what are you doing here?"

"Since Sir Eugen has joined before me, I imagine you know who this airship belong to...?" He nodded. "I have decided to join Sir Gran's crew, as a skyfarer. I...I guess you can say I wish to protect a few precious smiles."

"I see." He had an inkling of her real reasons, but knowing the Harvin there was no need for him to worry.

In that moment Gran, Lyria and the others arrived from the other side. Seeing the group Archer went to meet them.

"Oh, hey! It's Uncle Sword!" Vryn perked up when he spot him. "You here to see Eugen off?"

Archer raised an eyebrow. "...That's one of the nicer nicknames that have been given to me so far." He exchanged stares with Eugen, who just grinned knowingly, before looking at Gran and crossing his arms. "Captain. Do you have a spot left in your crew for a nameless archer?"

"Eh? Mister Archer, you want to join - I mean, sure! It'll be reassuring to have you with us." The brown haired boy smiled. "Can I ask you why?"

"Just two reasons. The first-" He sent Lyria a quick glance. "Is that I'll surely sleep better knowing I am close enough to intervene if things go south. Not to sounds rude, but I don't fully trust you...yet. The second reason..." He stared right into Gran's eyes with a neutral expression. "You remind me of someone I knew."

He blinked in confusion. "Who?"

"Someone you really shouldn't imitate, and that's all I will say on the matter. Still..." He held out his hand. "If you accept me, from now on I'll be the ally of you and those you care about. What do you say?"

"Ah! Sure!" Gran shook Archer's hand with a dazzling smile. "Welcome to the crew of the Grandcypher, Archer!"

"Ahahah!" Eugen guffawed as he slung an arm around Archer's shoulders. "I knew you were going to do this! Everyone, I propose-no, I _insist_ we make this guy the ship's cook. I swear you will not regret it!"

"Uh, actually..." Rackam scratched his chin. "I already hired a cook, and his two friends as assistants."

"Who-"

"Look! It's the Master!"

"What what what! It's really him! What?!"

"That's totally him!"

"...I changed my mind." Archer's expression turned completely blank upon hearing the trio of obnoxious voices. "I think I'll find a nice angle of Mizarea and quietly wait for my natural death."

A second arm was slung around Archer's shoulders from his other side. "Archer, bro!" Lowain laughed. "You're part of this crew here? That's, like, totally amazing!"

Archer silently mouthed 'Haven't I been punished enough?' to the sky before shooting a dry look at the Erune Trio. "Lowain. Elsam. Tomoi. Don't you have a job?"

"I quit. I've totally fallen in love with Katalina, and decided to follow her to the end of the skies!"

Archer looked at an increasingly despairing Katalina. "My condolences."

"Where Lowain goes, I'll follow!" Elsam declared.

"Me too!" Tomoi added.

"For Miss Katalina, I'd walk a thousand miles!" Farrah finished.

Everyone turned around and stared at the smiling silver-haired girl. The first to react was Katalina. "Farrah?! What are you doing here?"

"I simply couldn't forget about you, Miss Katalina, so I decided to leave Erste and follow you." She explained. "Now I'm just another knight!"

"You left the Empire?"

"That's correct! Well, the ship left without me and I shouted my intention to quit at its retreating form, but it totally counts!"

As everything descended into chaos, from Farrah, Lyria and Lowain starting a contest about who could praise Katalina more to Yuisis insisting all newcomers break bread with Gran, Archer could almost hear his late Master's voice.

Hakuno Kishinami, Master of Archer and victor of the Moon Cell's Holy Grail War, was definitely laughing at his current predicament.

* * *

 **This is a response to the review left by Draconic. I had my crew members read your review. Doing so we realized a few points:  
**

 **1) My chapters are proof-readed. Dozens of people read them on SV and SB, and when they point out an error I correct it. Here on FF I always post the complete and approved version.**

 **2) I played through all those events directly in the game. While I do admit writing Lowain and Bros is difficult, I'm slowly improving. My crew members said no to French and surfer's speech, saying that my current way to write them is good.**

 **3) Zeta works for the Society. She goes wherever the Society sends her and is capable of solo missions. Vaseraga and Zeta didn't even work together very well.**

 **4) Going by their first crossfate, Yuel didn't reunite with Socie until after she joins the crew.**

 **5) The three people you complained about all had valid reasons to be in Auguste: Yuel was treasure hunting, Jessica was brother hunting and Zeta had a mission. Naru was the most iffy one by virtue of being a hermit when we meet her in game. But as none of those character appeared, the point is moot.**

 **6) More than anything, where did I ever say I would be following only the anime? The anime ends there, the game continues with the story.**

 **Thus, we concluded that your gripes don't make sense and that the only cesspit of garbage here is your mouth.**


End file.
